Nostrum Terra
by Darkeyes92
Summary: "There was something special about this earth, something that made people like her fight till their last breath for it"- From Doomsday to Pandora, how Chloe, Oliver and the JL kept up the resistance. Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _Smallville: Superman the Early Years, _and _Superman,_ the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics.

_**A/N:** As a Chlollie virgin, I wondered if I should have gone with such a dark, and deep storyline… I hope it turns out well. Please enjoy. I would really appreciate and take on board any comments or reviews that you would like to leave. _

_Hope you love it!_

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes x_

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><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter One**

_Absence - that common cure of love.__-__**Lord Byron**_

Chloe could remember a different life. It seemed so long ago though, that she woke up to the smells of fresh coffee drifting upstairs from the Talon, or when she would argue with Lois over whether or not Cap'n Crunch was more creepy than the Lucky Charms guy. She remembered being happy, working with meteor infected people, working with the JL. She remembered coming home to a fiancé who loved her.

There was a life outside of these walls… Chloe could remember it.

But it all seemed so scripted now; as though she were looking at her life on the silver screen, images flashed by so fast, she could hardly register them before they were gone.

Chloe smiled as she thought back to her friends, who she'd forgotten. It was easier to pretend she'd forgotten them, and not the other way round. She remembered a sweet farm boy with a billion dollar smile, a sparkling black boy, with eyes that were full of life, a girl who was so beautiful, that men literally tripped over their feet to look at her, and yet so oblivious.

She sighed and returned from her reverie. Was there really any use in dwelling on the past? That past was now so far gone, Chloe wasn't even sure she was a part of it anymore. Though if she was brutally honest with herself, Chloe didn't feel like a part of anything anymore.

They say that friends come and go, but family is forever. But the last person Chloe met who'd sprung from her gene pool had vanished without a trace. But Chloe had pressed on, searching in every dark corner of cyberspace for Lois. After three months of searching, it dawned on Chloe that she hadn't slept at the Talon for days… that it wasn't home anymore. It was working off of this momentum that she managed to sell the place. She didn't take much from it, not wanting to disturb Lois' things. But she knew that the very act was a manifestation of her solitude.

In fact, living at Watchtower, and not being around, Lois' three year old pop tarts, that she'd refused to throw away, or her Die Hard collection, had actually made it easier to cope without Lois. The truth was that the Talon was the biggest part of their relationship. Living with Lois, had made her love her in more ways than she'd ever thought possible. And now being away from that, the constant reminders made it easier.

Lois Lane is a Soldier. She thought smiling to herself. If Lois was out there, she'd find her way home eventually. They always do.

She turned back to her screens and watched. Several weeks ago, Emil Hamilton, Oliver's doctor on payroll and experts on all things weird and wonderful, had dipped into his boss' pocket and forked out a hefty sum for state of the art equipment for Watchtower. It may not have been the healthiest thing for Chloe. In many ways it was like sticking a three year old in a candy store, and telling them to knock themselves out. Thankfully she hadn't managed that quite yet.

What she had managed was to keep an eye on her favourite fivesome. Fivesome be they or not. When she and Oliver set up this group, they were all given communicators, to be in touch wherever. What Chloe didn't tell them, was that they all had tracking chips in them. That was what Chloe was watching. From what she could tell Dinah and AC were in Venice, Bart was a floater, he'd been in Johannesburg thirty seconds ago, and he was now in Bangkok, Victor was Stateside, in Seattle. Why, she didn't know. And Oliver…

Chloe let out a frustrated sigh.

According to his tracker, Oliver was in Metropolis, in Luthorcorp plaza in his office, probably sipping tea with the Queen of England.

The truth was that he was no where near Metropolis; probably no where near Kansas. Chloe had no idea where he was. She couldn't track his cell phone, because he'd… well she didn't know what he'd done with it. For all she knew it could be at the bottom of the lake in Smallville. For all she knew, Oliver could be at the bottom of the lake in Smallville…

Chloe shuddered, and banished the thought. She'd made a deal with herself, that she would never think that one of her own were dead… not until she saw their bodies. She wouldn't be able to take it otherwise. She chose not to let herself worry, and so not let worrying consume her.

The truth was that she did worry. That was why she had the trackers planted, and why she put cameras in Oliver's belts, and Dinah's buttons, etc. They were all gone, scattered like lost sheep. But they wouldn't let her bring them back. She'd tried with AC and Dinah, and with Vic… even Bart wouldn't come back.

She knew what the problem was; it was Oliver.

All of them had taken the past few months hard, but Oliver… it was like he was a whole other person. And yet he still found it just as easy to disappear. She had tracked him down once; following his credit history to Los Angeles.

When she'd found him, he was drunk off his face, and a hairs breadth from a serious bar fight. He looked a mess. His face was unshaven; his skin blotched with dirt, and blood. There were bruises on his knuckles, and I'm sure there were more lurking under his shirt. Despite how much he'd drunk though, he was still adamant.

"_Go home, Chloe._" He'd said. "_I don't need you to come and babysit me._"

"_It's my job_" she'd replied light heartedly.

"_Then you're fired!_" he'd yelled "_Goddammit, just leave me alone!_"

The look on his face will always haunt her. That kind of pure dejection, and self-loathing, and pain… so much pain. Chloe's heart ached to get rid of that pain… to turn him back into the light-hearted, easygoing hero he once was.

But for now all she could do was watch… watch and wait, and pray with all her heart that they would come back. Chloe could feel that the world needed heroes like them, and it needed them soon.

Sadly, it wasn't just a gut feeling. Having never been a fan of the Luthorcorp dynasty in general, Chloe may have been a little biased. But that didn't change the fact that Tess Mercer was pouring millions and millions into a small environmental and energy research company called REO incorporated; the same company that had taken it on as their personal mission to provide clean energy for the entirety of Metropolis. Chloe sighed as her eyes glanced at the newspaper from the previous day. A picture was on the front of the solar towers, that were near completion. Chloe couldn't help the sense of foreboding.

She stood up and headed over to the kitchenette. Coffee was on her brain. She'd decided the reason that she was over-thinking was because she hadn't had enough coffee, not that she hadn't slept properly in days. The truth was that she didn't want to sleep.

"_Rather stay up with me bright eyes?_"

A shadow of a smile ghosted across Chloe's face… Jimmy…

Chloe wasn't a psychologist, but she knew exactly what one would say. That she was hallucinating, hearing voices, either as a first sign of psychopathy, or schizophrenia (which would mean a long stint in a place that she definitely never wanted to see again), or she was clinging to the memory of her dead husband so much that she actually believed he was still there.

Rational and logical Chloe had decided that it was really a manifestation of her guilt; it was only in their very last moments together that she had been honest with him. Lying was a big part of their relationship. Perhaps she thought that she was protecting him at the time, or that he wouldn't understand or accept her. But… He did understand, and he did accept her. Chloe had honestly allowed herself to believe that she was going to be happy, with Jimmy…

Chloe shut her eyes and swallowed back a lump of tears as she topped up her mug with fresh coffee, as though on auto-pilot, her eyes stared past the monitors to the floor of watchtower, where under laminate flooring, her husband's blood still stained the concrete.

"_I love you…_"

She shut her eyes, to keep the tears back, but one still traced a warm path down her cheek. She could still see that fading smile on his face, that breathless laugh, his eyes looking up at her as the spark, and the laughter left them.

She let out a shaky sigh of frustration. "It shouldn't still hurt like this Jimmy…" she whispered. "Why does it still hurt…?"

_I don't want it to…_

It had been five months since she'd put his body in the ground. She knew what it took to move on, to get over someone, but for some unknown reason, Chloe couldn't seem to do it.

Emil was worried about her. He thought she spent too much time inside Watchtower. But the truth was what else was she going to do? Her cousin was missing, probably dead, her boss and co-workers were scattered, and her best friend was gone.

The image of Clark turning his back on her instantly flashed across her mind, but Chloe put it away. No matter how much she felt hurt or betrayed by Clark. There was no use in trying for a lost cause. Clark was often the most stubborn person she'd ever known. And she knew that if he said he wasn't coming back… he wouldn't come bac-

CRASH!

Chloe's mug fell to the floor, and her jaw dropped.

"Impossible…" she breathed.

There in her monitor, standing in the middle of the Kent Barn, was Clark Kent.

She moved closer to the screen. There he was, looking around the room, looking for something.

"Oh my God…" Chloe whispered, before grabbing her keys and running out of the door. If she knew Clark and his X-ray vision, she had no time to lose.

* * *

><p>The cold water hit Oliver's face, and immediately he felt awake. Using his hands he rubbed at his eyes, before finally, bringing his hands to rest on the sink. His head was spinning. He couldn't seem to focus on anything. He didn't know what hotel he was in, what country he was in. He couldn't remember her name for the life of him; her being the woman whose condo (or hotel room, he couldn't remember) he was in. This woman happened to be the same one who he'd just had sex with moments earlier.<p>

"Oliver!" she called out from the bedroom. "What are you doing?"

He groaned, and lifted his head to look in the mirror. His reflection was foreign to him nowadays. Like a mask… He had told Chloe that the life he led now was no act. This is Oliver Queen now; the playboy billionaire, who knows how to really have fun. This is the person who was really under the hood.

He needed this. He needed to be this person. He couldn't be the responsible businessman, or the CEO. He couldn't be the person Lois deserved, or the person that Chloe relied on, or the person Clark confided in. He wasn't good for people. If people get to close to him, they got hurt.

Just like Jimmy.

And Chloe.

And Lois.

What was the point in being the hero, when the people you care about most, always got hurt? From time to time, Oliver saw Clark running around Metropolis, saving lives, burning S'es into buildings, and being the hero. But he was a shell. Talking to him was like talking to a corpse. He used to be so much more alive, like he was always on an adrenaline boost. But lately… since Lois went. Something in him went with her.

He didn't want to be that guy. He didn't want to be dead inside. So he delved deeper into the vortex, and let the world spin around him.

He stepped out of the bathroom, and smiled at the naked woman in the sheets… what was her name.

Brandy?

Bella?

Blake?

He stopped wondering, and poured himself out a glass of bourbon.

"How are you not drunk yet?" the woman asked. "I saw how much you drank at the bar."

Oliver scoffed. "Well I guess I should just keep going then."

The woman looked him over once, before sitting up in the bed, and drawing herself onto her knees. The sheet feel, and Oliver looked down over her.

"Or… you could put the drink down." She said seductively, "And let _me_ show you a really good time."

Oliver glanced at her, and obliged, fitting his mouth over hers, and his hands immediately crawling over her skin. Sometimes, a good hard fuck would do what alcohol couldn't.

* * *

><p>There was a tower in the centre of Metropolis. It was designed to be covered entirely with solar panels, allowing it to provide renewable energy to the entirety of Metropolis indefinitely. Tess Mercer had organised its construction for the furthering of the environmental work done by the research and energy company; REO incorporated. It was called by experts<p>

"the greatest innovative technology to come out of Luthercorp, since the Luthors passed."

"A milestone for Energy Resources, and Architecture."

"A true stroke of genius for the amazing Mercer, and REO."

Zod stood in the courtyard of the towers. His towers. To the earthlings, this tower was a symbol of hope, hope for a future for their planet. It was the same for Zod's people. He looked up at their stagerring structures, and smiled.

"Major Zod."

He turned slightly, a private stood behind him, and saluted. "What is it."

"We have brought Jor-El, as you have requested."

Zod turned, with a smile. "Good." He said. "Bring him here."

The private disappeared through an archway, and reappeared with a man in chains in tow.

Jor-El. His once ally. His ever friend. His almost brother. Zod approached the man slowly appraising him, as the man was forced to his knees. He was bloodied, and bruised, his breath was laboured and he swayed in weakness. But still he turned his head to look at the Major.

Zod swallowed and looked away. "Leave us."

The private scampered away, and the men were alone.

"I wondered, when I heard about your excursion in Smallville," Zod said "If you had purposed us to come to this planet, where you yourself spent your adolescence."

Jor-El said nothing, but continued to sway.

"The house you went to means much to you. I could not tell why… until I saw for myself."

Zod dropped a piece of paper in front of the man. He glanced at it, and frowned.

The Major crouched down to look Jor-El in his eyes. "someone's been advertising on your behalf."

Jor-El shook his head, "I know nothing of these Zod."

Zod nodded "I'm sure," he said. "But how am I to trust you?"

Jor-El raised his eyes to look into the major's, his face void of emotion.

"After you abandon your people," Zod stood and began to pace the floor of the courtyard. "Deceive me, and hide from me the one object that _you know_ has the power to supply us with our powers."

"If you have your powers, this planet will fall."

Suddenly Zod's hand was at Jor-El's throat. Jor-El choked on a cry, and his face began to twist, and redden in pain. Zod whispered in Jor-El's ear. "If you are withholding my powers from me," he said, "Then I'll be sure that you fall."

"Then kill me Zod" Jor-El hissed as his face contorted further.

Zod's jaw clentched unstinctively. "You are confident that I shan't?"

"Whether or not I die is immaterial." Jor-El's voice became strained and choked as he tried to get the words out. "You will never find the book of Rau."

Filled with rage, and vehement anger, Zod shoved Jor-El away releasing his neck, and watching as he writhed and coughed and choked for air.

He let out a sigh. "Jor-El, my friend." He said. "you fail to realise that this is not an attempt to find where you hid the book of Rau. You see-"

Zod's hand slipped into his pocket and to Jor-El's horror, pulled out the disk, that he had worked so hard to protect.

A smirk teased Zod's lips. "- I already have it."

Jor-El's shouders fell with his resolve. "don't do this, Zod." He pleaded. "I know the people on this planet. They don't deserve this-"

Zod slapped him and cut him off. "Traitors do not give counsel." He said.

Jor-El leaned to one side, and spat out blood, before turning back to Zod, his mouth red.

Once again, Zod crouched down in front of Jor-El. "Do you remember my little boy, Jor-El."

Jor-El nodded. "Fair haired…" he said. "tall for his age…"

"He was six years…" Zod began, looking down at the disk he twirled in his fingers. "He didn't want to be a soldier when he grew up. He wanted to work with science… just, like, you," Zod punctuated each of those three words, with a prod to Jor-El's chest.

He hand then reached out and twisted into his hair, pulling so hard that Jor-El let out a loud cry. "You had no child!" Zod practically yelled. "And yet you in your arrogance played God, dictating who deserves a second chance!"

Jor-El cried out as Zod smashed his head into the stone floor. "Did _my son _deserve to die?" Zod screamed. "Did he?"

"I didn't kill your son, Zod!"

"But you didn't save him!" Zod threw him down, he splayed on the ground, groaning as he searched for the strength to push himself upright.

"And now," Zod said with a cool calmness that unsettled Jor-El's stomach. "The greater powers have offered me a true blessing from the heavens."

Jor-El frowned. What was he talking about? And why did his words leave Jor-El so… fearful.

"Feyora solved the mystery of your shield." Zod said. He pushed Jor-El upright, and looked into his eyes. "Look at me." He said. "I want to see your eyes when I tell you this."

Jor-El turned his eyes on the major, and saw an unreal amount of malice there. He shuddered under the look, confused and a little scared.

"You have a son Jor-El." Zod said. "and I will make certain nothing saves him from my retribution."

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><p><em><strong>AN:** Hey look at that! you read it! Huzzah! Huzzah! etc!_

_Please review, I want to know if I should continue with this or let it die._

_Much Love!_

_Darkeyes x_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **__Smallville: Superman the Early Years, and Superman, the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics._

_**A/N: **__I would like firstly to thank my one and only reviewer so far,__AnutheaBrae09. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I hope that this one is equally interesting.  
><em>

_I have taken part of this chapter from the season 9 episode "Echo," and while I'm aware that it doesn't follow the TessxOliver scene to the letter, I'm okay with it. I chose to manipulate it for my own devices. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please review; I find it hard to tell if I'm screwing it up or not unless you all tell me!_

_Much Love!_

_Darkeyes xo_

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><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter Two**

"_Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."-__**T.S. Eliot**_

The spitting of the machine gun was head throughout the bar. One of the bullets must have hit a light bulb, because from Oliver's position, with his head against the bar top, something wet dribbling over his cheek, he heard the tinny crash of glass with the combined gasps of his captors, as they jumped away from him. He felt hands release his hair and lift their weight off him, and didn't have to look to see whose smooth as scotch voice had commanded them.

"Really?" Tess had said.

One word... It never failed to impress Oliver. With one word, they'd all backed off. Oliver wasn't surprised though. Tess was that kind of woman, she would never need to speak more than once. He groaned as he pushed himself off the counter, not quite getting out of his hunch. It was almost too typical; Chloe would wait him out, Clark would try tough love, but only Tess would storm a Bolivian Bar with an automatic weapon, knowing how much he hated guns. She was always a fan of the direct approach.

The captors began to file out. Oliver didn't turn to look at Tess, and poured himself out another shot. If he was going to have to listen to a lecture he figured he might as well be drunk. That said, he wouldn't have expected the lecture to have come so soon, which meant she wanted something, but what he couldn't say.

"Y'know Mercy," he said lifting the glass "If you wanted more Facetime, all you had to do was ask."

She didn't respond immediately, but Oliver heard her heavy booted footsteps approaching him. He downed the glass, paying more attention to the burning tequila washing down his throat that the prickling feelings of her eyes on the back of his head.

"This is me asking." She said.

Oliver frowned at that, turning his head to look at her. There was a severity etched on it and a seriousness, the like of which he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Huh…" he said, sizing her up in her Lara Croft get up and her trigger happy expression. He wondered if she was going to turn the gun on him.

_Might be putting the thing to good use._ He thought to himself.

"You look serious." He said. "Maybe you should lighten up. Here." He said pouring out another shot. "Have a drink."

"I'll pass." She said. "Plane to catch."

"Well then I guess you won't be sticking around for la fiesta." Oliver said turning away from her. He was planning on ignoring her until she left; it worked on most girls in bars. If Oliver was less drunk, he would have realised it wouldn't work on her.

"Oliver, what the hell are you thinking." She asked. It was strange, her voice was laced with concern rather than frustration, confusion rather than reproach. He blinked back surprise and continued to look away.

"I've seen you go off the rails before… but this…" he could practically feel the disappointment in her voice, he really wanted to roll his eyes. "This vanishing act… these binges…" he chuckled internally, taking a swig out of his beer bottle, wondering what psychological conclusion she'd come to.

"You're punishing yourself." He swallowed, staring at the label on the bottle. Maybe she did know him after all.

"Why?"

Oliver said nothing. He didn't have to, he didn't want to. That was the thing about being one of the richest people on the planet; you didn't have to do anything you didn't want to.

Then she stepped closer. And her hand slid onto his shoulder. Oliver tensed at the contact, it was so foreign to him. He turned his head into it a little, trying to understand. It had been so long since anyone's touches had been anything other than fleeting, passionate, painful. But this… Tess' hand was warm, constant… like a touch he hadn't felt in so long…

"Oliver, what did you do?" she asked. Oliver swallowed again. He felt a strange longing, for the kind of touch she was giving him. A hand on the shoulder, strong hands holding him, a comforting voice telling him everything was alright... That he was forgiven.

"No matter what this is about, I understand." And it was true… she did understand. He could tell her anything, and she would understand. That was just their nature, they'd been through enough shit to be able to say that. But telling her changed nothing. She didn't have the power to forgive him. She couldn't tell him it wasn't his fault. She wasn't the one who could tell him…

"Just talk to me…"

Telling her changed nothing.

And she knew that…

He turned to face her, on the barstool. "Y'know it sounds like you're the one who needs to do the talking." He said, looking right into her face. She took a tentative step back, a little fear on her face. "So I guess the real question is, what do you want from me?"

He watched with more than a little relish as she recoiled. She was almost too readable. She watched him with a measuring look, before looking down, as though in defeat. With a breath she looked up. Mercy was gone. Mercer was left.

"I need your pretty face." She said. "And your boyish charm."

Oliver grinned. "Not planning to get me back between your sheets are we Mercy?"

Tess gave him a glare. "Focus less of it on me, and more of your sweet talk on our shareholders." She said. "The REO solar tower is opening in Metropolis tonight. All our shareholders, plus most of our competitors will be there. So you need to be there too. And you need to make sure that they realise that you aren't planning to die and leave everything to a lemur named Dr Good-time."

Oliver scoffed "Why should I?"

Tess let a little smirk raise the corner of her lips. "Consider this one of the many favours you owe me."

Oliver nodded and turned back to the beer he was nursing. "Is that all you want?"

"I've learned not to expect too much from you, Oliver."

That would have hurt, if Oliver wasn't quite so numb. Instead he just sulked and raised the bottle to his lips again.

"Cheer up," she said, "You can fall down drunk in a gutter as soon as it's over."

Oliver felt his shoulders become that much heavier. Perhaps he was sobering up all too quickly. Maybe Tess had put something in his drink, because he'd started to feel, and he felt like a failure.

"Wheels up in twenty."

* * *

><p>CRASH!<p>

Chloe covered her ears, as the Kent Living room shook, and dust rained out of the ceiling. Once the tremors stopped, she sighed. Clark had been at this for hours; X-ray scanning, and punching stuff open. There were now holes in the shape of the Sagittarius constellation in Clark's dry wall. Not to mention, the fact that he was ignoring her very existence. She sighed again. She'd been doing that for a while. Frustrated, she blew her hair out of her face.

"Y'know," she began to say, folding her arms and watching as he brushed dust from the hole in the ceiling. "If you give me some idea of what you're looking for, I could help Clark."

He ignored her and turned his head to look at the other drywall. There was a determined frown on his face, which was all too similar to his Kryptonian personality for Chloe's liking. After all, that personality barely knew, and definitely didn't like Chloe.

"Seriously, I could tell you if anything's been moved since you left," she said, "I've been monitoring your house for months, I would know-" she bit her tongue, as she suddenly realised what she said, as she saw Clark turn to her with a different kind of frown. "… um…"

"What do you mean monitoring?" he demanded, stepping closer to her

Chloe took a defensive step back. "Look," she said, raising her hands. "Calm down. Okay? I was just watching to see when you would come back- If you'd come back."

She shrugged, "I was worried."

Clark seemed to accept this, but his eyes narrowed a little as he turned away from her. "I told you Chloe." He said monotonously. "I don't need your help."

"No, don't get me wrong Clark." Se stepped to the side, trying to get him to look at her, as he ploughed his fist into the other drywall. "I heard you loud and clear when you stopped answering, or returning my calls, and pretended I didn't exist, and I get that dear-old-dad is now the sidekick in your two-man team (I've seen the S'es- nice touch). But don't forget that before Jor-El jumped out of his crystal-"

Chloe grabbed his shoulder and forced Clark to turn his baby blues on her. "_I _was there. We have a good two decades of friendship that I would have thought got more brownie points than Jor-El's Krypto-genes."

Clark got that look in his eyes again, it was as though he hadn't even heard her. He looked at her like he was losing his patience. "This isn't something humans can understand Chloe." Clark said. "And it's not something you need to put yourself in the middle of."

"For Heaven's Sakes Clark!" Chloe exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "What is so important that you need to tear your home apart to find?"

"It's not something you would understand, Chloe-"

"What Krypto-babble haven't I heard, Clark?"

Clark sized her up. "Fine," he said after a minute. He handed her a piece of paper. Chloe looked over it.

"Jor-El told me that he hid that object somewhere in this house." Clark said looking around the room again.

Chloe frowned. On the page was a hexagonal shaped disc, with Kryptonian symbols written all over it. "What is this?"

"The Book of Rau." Clark said.

There was something strange about the way he said it. Like there was something dangerous about this "Book," which didn't look anything like a book, if you asked Chloe. "What does it do?" she asked, a little wary of the answer.

Clark frowned, he looked angry, like she was crossing a line. "I can't tell you."

Chloe scoffed. "What d'you mean you can't tell me"

"Chloe." Clark said, a stern expression on his face. "Unless you can tell me where that is, you are of no use to me."

Chloe almost choked on air. "What the hell!" she cried. " 'I am of no use to you?' What d'you think I am? An Encyclopaedia? I want to help because I'm your friend-"

"I don't' need you to be my friend, Chloe." Clark said. "I need to know where that is."

That was when it hit her. What he'd said all those months ago, he really meant it.

_Clark Kent is dead…_

He wasn't her friend anymore. He hadn't just left. People who leave, come back. Pete came back once in a while, even Lana came back.

_Goodbye Chloe…_

Clark was gone.

She stared at him in horror, wondering how he could do this to her. Then she saw something in his face; that determination, it wasn't a stoic kind. In his eyes she saw a desperation that she hadn't seen in a long time, and suddenly she felt scared. A horrible sense of foreboding flooded her stomach, and she began to feel sick. It was the same feeling she got before something terrible happened.

She began to approach him. "Clark." She said wary of his answer. "What's happening?"

Clark said nothing, but took a step back and avoided looking at Chloe.

Chloe's voice became more insistent. "Clark!"

Clark looked up at her, and Chloe's heart fell. That cold vacancy behind his eyes could make her heart break. "Clark…" she pleaded, a painful lump of tears, began to rise in her throat, which she tried to swallow back down.

"I suppose you cannot help me after all, Miss Sullivan."

Tears threatened to fall, as Chloe's shoulders fell. That was the same face he wore when he'd walked out of her life.

And sure enough, with a gust of wind; Clark Kent was gone.

* * *

><p>Zod was a Major. A military man. A military man can always appreciate an imminent victory. He smiled a little to himself as he watched the sun set over the Metropolis skyline. It was fiery, and filled with life. At times like these, this Earth reminded him of Krypton. He could almost pretend… yes, the city skyline was the towers of Kandor. He stood on the balcony of his home. A warm Westerly breeze ran over his body, he closed his eyes, and turned his face into it. The smell of smoke was replaced with blossoms, and fruit. There was a laugh behind him. He turned and saw…<p>

_What do you see, my love?_

He saw his wife. She was so beautiful. Draped in white, her hair flowing with the breeze, she was ethereal… she was almost there. Her eyes were almost living, her smile almost real, and her skin almost touchable… Almost.

"Major Zod?"

Faora stood in the doorway looking at him in confusion. Zod frowned. "Faora…" he murmured. He turned back to the view. "What is it?"

"I…" she began, "The technicians, they've connected the tower to the satellites. Everything is ready."

Zod nodded. "Good." He said. He leaned on the wall overlooking Metropolis. "The human woman… she has been good to us, yes?"

"She has been very helpful."

"Hmm…" Zod murmured to himself. "Look out Faora… you've always been fairly insightful."

She took a few hesitant steps to the wall and looked out over the city.

"What do you see?" Zod asked.

Faora shrugged, "It is a city." She said. "There's a sun setting over it. There are towers, and monuments… it's a city."

Zod nodded. "Indeed it is."

Faora turned toward the Major. "Sir, if you don't mind my asking…" she began

"Yes?"

"You seem… distracted."

A short laugh escaped Zed's lips. "Distracted… yes I suppose." He said. "You know, Faora, In Kandor- on Krypton, I saw a past; strong, and resilient. A glorious history of a superior race. And it was very good. But here…"

He looked up into the sky, as dusk stained it with red and gold. "… I see Krypton rising under another Sun. Faora, I see a future… greater that any could have predicted."

Zod pulled the heavy disked book of Rau out of his pocket. The sunlight poked through the symbols, giving the disk an ethereal light.

He smiled at Faora. "Be ready."

* * *

><p>AN: So... that was my second chapter of this my first Chlollie fic. Now i love these two with a passion so please let me know if i'm doing this right and review. If for nothing else, for my own piece of mind!

Also, i'm aware that while this is a Chlollie fic, there has been little Chlollie interaction, but that's just the nature of this storyline... in other words I'm lettin' em stew! but i will be getting them into contact with one another soon.

Much Love

Darkeyes xo!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: **__Smallville: Superman the Early Years, and Superman, the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics._

_**A/N**__**: **__As you've probably realised I am terrible at replying to reviews on time. Sad thing is though, that I actually get really, really happy when I get them, I just have a terrible case of procrastination (I take pills for it and everything :D) _

_Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and start thanking people now:_

_-To whatareweafraidof: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and yeah, Clark is being a jerk but he can't help it really, he thinks that's what he needs to do. Whatever right. I don't think I'm going to be going into Clark's side of it much, mainly because from Pandora it was pretty evident that Clark and Chloe were V. distant. Um about the Book of Rau, I don't know if I made it clear, but I tried to show that Zod already had the book of Rau in the first chapter. Basically, Chloe can't stop things from happening now._

_- To Petrafan77. GAH! I know, I hate writing Clark as a jerk, because I have all kinds of mad love for him, he's pretty awesome. But it has to be done for the sake of continuity and what not. And as for the Chlollie, keep eyes peeled, it's coming soon. There is some in this chapter, but probably not what your looking for. :D enjoy anyhow, and thanks for the review._

_To other readers, who haven't reviewed, please let me know how I'm doing. I would hate it if you guys weren't enjoying it, so please- feedback, good or bad, it's loved._

_Much Love!_

_Darkeyes xo_

**Nostrum Terra**

**Chapter Three**

_We never fail when we try to do our duty; we always fail when we neglect to do it.-_**Robert Baden-Powell**

"Major Zod."

Zod turned in surprise, and smiled. "Well…" he said. "Apparently you clean up very nicely."

Tess smiled back, but there was no warmth behind it. There was never any warmth. Zod had come to learn that. She walked over to him, her floor length, royal blue gown whispering around her ankles, and pulling a little, as it dragged along the floor behind her.

"I've learned that people on this planet only ever take things at face value." She said as she stepped closer to the Major and began to fix his tie. "Which is why it this evening is necessary, to make a proper impression."

"And what impression are we hoping to give?" Zod asked, his eyes following her, as she tightened his tie.

Her eyes lifted to meet his. He had always found them quite mesmerising. Blue like water, pure, and yet full of menace when set upon it. The woman had proven herself to be quite the force. He had seen many of his best soldiers wither under her clear blue gaze. It was something to marvel at.

"The right one." Tess said "I've made sure the most affluent people on the planet are here to celebrate this event."

"Really?" Zod said, at his tone, Tess paused. "Because my people tell me that you failed to secure the support of several of the richest people and organisations on this planet. I hear Wayne Industries is not represented,"

"That means nothing." Tess said. "_My_ people have assured me that they will not stand in your way."

Zod eyed her analytically. The woman was a snake if he'd ever seen one, and he had yet to find out which side she would finally slither onto. Her words weren't enough; the snake which tempted Eve was said to have a beautiful voice also.

She narrowed her eyes in confusion at his grim expression. "You still do not trust me?"

"Is that so surprising?"

Tess looked at Zod evenly, before nodding her head slowly, and taking the silk tie into her hands again.

"Many men have refused to trust me Major Zod." She said, her voice was smooth and silky as her hands loosened the Major's tie. He swallowed as her fingers fell to the skin of his neck, and his pulse. Was it wise to allow her to touch his neck? She could easily snap it, since they were still powerless. She smirked, and her hands slid behind the collar of his shirt, and popped open the top button. "You will find, that I will be trustworthy, whether you believe me or not."

Zod glanced down at his shirt, and then back up at her with a frown.

Tess smiled; "Much more approachable" she said turning her cold blue eyes on his again. "After all, we must make the right impression."

* * *

><p>The REO solar tower had Tess' footprints all over it. Oliver thought as he surveyed the room. The whole idea was right up her street; a ridiculously gracious gesture to Mother Earth, which happens to cost a fortune, and was only passed through the board as another act of kindness from the Most Benevolent Mercer, as she tried to save the world. Oliver chuckled bitterly sulking under his smile, as he nodded along to whichever stuffed shirt was commenting on his quick recovery, and his terrible spell, etc.<p>

His cheeks were beginning to ache from the smiling, nearly as much as his head. Tess hadn't given him much room to recover from his hangover, and he was still blinking pain back behind his eyes. This said he was putting on a brilliant façade, if he said so himself; when he stepped in on Tess' arm, one who knew well enough would think he'd majored in Theatre. But as the night wore on, the lines he'd been repeating began to taste stale in his mouth, his easy laugh began to come bitterly in all the wrong places, the lights began to get to him, and all he could really ask for was to get out of there, and crash at the nearest bar.

It was right when he was ready to cut, that Tess began her speech. And although he had promised to stay awake, alert and sober for it Oliver couldn't, for the life of him, find the energy to listen to more than every other word. It was something about the CEO "Zod." Oliver glanced at the grim, grey man who stood behind her. He wore a black suit; no tie, and a steely look on his face. Oliver frowned, for some reason, he felt like he was being looked through rather than at, and he didn't like it.

_I suppose, someone who can do that, only needs one name._ He thought to himself.

Oliver chose to ignore the both of them, and sat down at the bar, figuring if he had to listen to Tess' overly rhetoric, self-righteous speeches, he might as well be drunk.

The barkeeper came up to him. "What can I get ya?" he asked. He had a New York accent… it was annoying.

"Vodka Tonic." Oliver said. "Easy on the tonic."

The barkeeper nodded, and Oliver spun in his seat to face Tess. She was saying something about the marvellous work of "Mr Zod" as Oliver took the drink from the barkeeper. He rolled his eyes, Tess had a way of using eight words where she could use one, not to mention the histrionic pauses. Mind you, when you love the sound of your own voice that much-

Oliver's thoughts were cut off as his phone began to buzz in his pocket. He set his glass down and fished it out. Looking at the screen, he felt his stomach drop into his shoes.

Chloe Sullivan's number flashed across the screen.

He stared at the phone with a scowl, there were three buzzes, before he touched busy, and tucked the phone back in his pocket, and pretending the sick feeling in his stomach, was because of the vodka… not guilt.

_I've got no reason to feel guilty anyhow._ He thought to himself. After all, he _was_ busy. It was rude to answer a phone when surrounded by people. He picked up his drink and began to sip at it again. He'd changed his personal phone before he'd taken off so he didn't know how she'd got the number- that said, bearing in mind who Chloe was, it was never clear how she got anything.

Oliver frowned when his cell began buzzing again. He pulled it out, and rolled his eyes. The same number flashed across the screen. Without wavering this time, he pressed busy and turned the phone on silent.

It wasn't that he didn't like talking to Chloe… Okay, it was. She hadn't done anything; in fact she'd been one of the few who'd got the message (admittedly it had taken him yelling at her to get it) and left him alone, not trying to force him to come to terms with anything. But every time that he saw her face, or heard her voice, he was reminded of what he'd done… Of Jimmy; yellow flowers and tears…

Oliver took a deep breath. It had taken a lot more than one vodka tonic to blur those memories. He shook himself and turned back to Tess. He pulled out his phone to see if she'd given up yet. As it turned out she hadn't; he had four missed calls, and two texts. Oliver almost smiled, she was still so stubborn.

"Excuse me?" someone tapped Oliver's shoulder and he turned to see a very agreeable sight indeed. He grinned, looking her over.

Oliver imagined she was a trophy wife, or someone's arm candy. She was tall, and slim, with dead straight dark brown, near black, hair and a full face fringe, brushing against her piercing blue eyes. She was wearing killer stilettos, which made her long legs look endless, as they disappeared under a deep plum coloured dress which whispered over her thighs.

"Well." He said, still unashamedly looking her over, "How can I help you?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, apparently unimpressed, "I think your _wife_ is looking for you?" she said holding up her cell phone.

"My what?" Oliver hissed with a dark frown on his face, he realised almost as soon as he said it, shaking his head a little. "Oh…" he took the phone from her hands

"Wife?" he said into the phone. "Really?"

Oliver heard a chuckle on the other end, a little irritated that it was at his expense his scowl deepened. "What can I say?" Chloe finally said. "I like to be creative"

"And the girl in the dress? What was that? Revenge?"

Chloe's voice was brightened as though she were grinning. "I figured I had to get your attention somehow. I didn't think you'd respond as well to getting pulled over for drunk driving."

Oliver's eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

"Though mind you, if you ask me the evening appears to be headed that way anyhow-"

"Wait-What?" Oliver said fairly loudly, looking around for the little blonde brainiac, instead he saw he was drawing some attention to himself; an old woman in a blue dress was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He smiled at her and she looked away apathetic. This was when he decided to lower his voice. "Are you …here or something?"

Oliver heard what sounded like a snort before Chloe continued. "Don't be ridiculous, I've got way too much to do to waste my time and energy at Tess Mercer's events."

Oliver began to slip away from the crowds and out onto the balcony, much to the chagrin of the girl whose phone he'd borrowed.

"But you're watching me, aren't you Big Sister?" he said with no trace of humour in his voice.

Apparently, that'd had the desired effect. There was a pause before Chloe began to reply. "… I'm looking out for you-"

"We've been over this Chloe, I didn't ask you to do-" Oliver interrupted, his voice rising.

"-Well if we're honest, it's what you pay me to do-"

Oliver laughed bitterly, "Well in that case, you're fired"

This time Chloe laughed, almost too much for Oliver's liking, he began to get the impression that she was laughing at his expense. "Good luck with that," she said.

Oliver's jaw clenched, he was irked; irked that she'd had him on the phone for more than thirty seconds, irked that she was talking to him like they were friends. He wanted her off the phone, she reminded him too much of the past; the person that he was. He wasn't that person anymore, and she shouldn't pretend he was.

"Did you want something?" he snapped. "Or can I go back to pretending to listen to Tess?"

There was a pause, but Chloe was apparently unabated. "The man next to Tess" Oliver turned back to look at the podium through the glass at the steely CEO of REO inc. "Did Tess really say his name was Zod?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah…" Oliver said hesitantly. "Seriously, Chloe how did you-"

"- I have my ways." She cut him off.

Oliver frowned again, he was going to get a tension headache at this rate. "Right.. Yeah, he's CEO of REO incorporated, the guys who built the tower. Why?"

She said nothing. Oliver began to feel a little antsy. "Chloe?" he asked.

"Zod was the evil guy who blew up Clark's home planet." Chloe said slowly, as though she was thinking and speaking at the same time.

Oliver's mouth dropped open. "W-What?" he stammered, looking back at the CEO. He'd heard about the destruction of Krypton, and if he was honest, he'd been expecting a creepy goatee, or a weird evil pet on his shoulder, like a monkey, and some wringing of hands to be in order, but Zod was doing nothing. He stood stock still next to Tess, as she talked. There was a stern kind of discipline about his expression; Oliver could imagine he was an army man, but other than that-

"He was sent to the phantom zone…" Chloe seemed to say to herself. "There's no way he can be here-"

"Look Chloe," Oliver interrupted, he stood by what he'd said about Clark's Krypto… stuff, and as soon as he'd heard 'phantom zone' he'd zoned out. "Clark _really _is the go to guy for this… stuff so-"

"Oliver-"

"-Why don't you talk to him about it?"

Apparently, Oliver had said the wrong thing. Chloe was silent for a good while before she said, quietly; quieter than he'd heard her all evening, "I can't…"

Oliver had to laugh at that one. Being fairly certain that the money Emil had slipped out of his account several months ago wasn't being stored in a sock under his bed, and that Boy scout hadn't grown his wings yet, it was a little hard to believe that she could find him easier than Clark Kent. "Come on, Chloe." He said snickering. "Don't tell me the omniscient, omnipresent, Watchtower can't find little old Clark Kent."

She paused again. Oliver began to get a little curious. What was going on? Did Clark break up with her or something? "It's complicated" she said finally.

"Complicated?"

"I haven't got time to explain," Chloe said. "Oliver, I need you to-"

"Nope. Sorry." Oliver said, fervently shaking his head, and hoping she could see him.

"Oliver, please, I just need-"

"No. Chloe." He said more fervently.

"What do you mean 'no?'"

"I mean no, to whatever you're about to ask me, 'No.'"

"Why not?" she almost yelled.

Oliver said nothing. A tight knot was pulled into his brows, and his jaws were set, determined.

He heard her sigh over the phone, and his eyebrows rose in surprise, was she giving up? Her voice came over the speaker contrite and quiet. "Oliver." She said. "Please, don't do this to me."

Oliver frowned, not understanding what she meant.

"Everyone is gone Oliver," she said, her voice a little hoarse. "Now Clark has his apocalypse face on, and I'm getting scared. I can't do this alone anymore. I need you…"

Oliver tried to swallow the lump in his throat, it was too painful. She had no idea, how much she didn't need him. None of them did.

"You used to be one of the only people I could always rely on." She said, "Something big is coming, and I can't fight it alone. I need your help, Ollie."

Oliver was silent. He felt that burden again, the one he hadn't felt since he took of his green leather for the last time. He frowned, his shoulders felt heavier, weaker, like they would drop under the pressure. She couldn't ask this of him. He wasn't Green Arrow any more.

"Ollie?" Chloe's voice came over the speaker.

Oliver swallowed. "I'm sorry Chloe." He said. "I'm not that person anymore. I can't help you."

"Ollie…" Chloe's voice was heartbreakingly sad, thick with emotion and unshed tears. Oliver felt his gut churn.

"Goodbye Chloe." He said, and hung up the phone.

It wasn't that Oliver was trying to hurt her; he was actually trying to make her understand. This wasn't their place to interfere. There were things set down to protect people. When they interfered, things went wrong… people died. She of all people should have understood that.

As he stepped back into the room, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The whole atmosphere of the room had changed. Having not heard any of Tess' speech, Oliver had no idea what was going on. Why were so many people looking around with wide unblinking eyes full of fear? Why was Tess now telling people to remain calm? And why did Oliver have the prickling feeling between his shoulder blades that gave him the sneaking suspicion that there was a gun pointed at his back? He turned slowly and looked around the room again, and saw several people, whom he'd assumed to be bodyguards, holding very large guns. One of which was indeed pointed right at him.

His frown deepened, as he slowly lifted his arms. _Yeah._ He thought. _This is not going to end well for me._

* * *

><p>Chloe wasn't sure who she was angrier at; Oliver, or herself. She threw down the earpiece with a frustrated groan, and dropped her face into her hands.<p>

_How long before you get the picture Sullivan? How many freaking times-_

"So I suppose that didn't go well."

Chloe looked up; Emil was standing in the doorway, with a raised eyebrow.

She sighed, "No Emil… It didn't."

Emil nodded, and Chloe looked back at her monitors, surveying the events at REO, she watched Oliver walk back into the hall and shook her head. "I can't believe I really thought…" she murmured half to herself.

"Thought what?" Emil encouraged.

Chloe turned to the Doctor. "Y'know, while we were talking, I thought… for a minute… it felt like nothing had changed." She said. "How long is he gonna need, Emil? I can't wait for him to lead his ducklings back forever, and frankly, something tells me that we don't have that sort of time."

Emil nodded; he knew there wasn't really anything to say that hadn't been said already. Chloe knew that Oliver needed time, that he was a big boy, and eventually he would work things out on his own.

Chloe noticed Emil's frown as he glanced up at the monitors, "What?"

He said nothing at first, moving closer to the screen. "Chloe I don't know what's going on but I don't think that Oliver has that kind of time either."

Chloe turned and looked at the screens. _Oh Crap. _She thought as she saw the guns, and goons.

"What do we do?" Emil asked.

Chloe said nothing, staring between Tess and Zod both looking strangely calm considering that the banqueting hall had turned into the council chambers of a military dictator.

"Chloe?"

Chloe's eyes fell on Oliver standing with his palms raised, as many people were, she chewed her lip nervously. "I'm thinking."

* * *

><p>AN: HEY YOU READ THE WHOLE THING!

Wow, you have reached new heights of awesome, and you will reach even more if you just click on that teeny tiny button which says review. FANX

Darkeyes xo


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: **__Smallville: Superman the Early Years, and Superman, the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics._

_**A/N**__**: **So... that was another round of me not replying to reviews... I'm really sorry. I love you all for reviewing, it makes me feel so happy to see that you are all enjoying it. _

_Special thanks and Blessings from Heaven go to **brittany34**, ,** Nienna Tinehtele**, **lizard1969**, **pensoul**, **zuntiz**, **Isabel5(**who is actually all kinds of awesome. Read her work... NOW! - I mean after this of course :D**)**, **AnuthaeBrae09**, **GoChlollie**, **kdrenai**, and **Honey1005.**_

_And to all anonymous reviewers, who didn't want to log in, or haven't registered, or... something, I love you too._

_Now onto Chapter FOUR!_

* * *

><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter Four**

_Noir Hero is a knight in blood caked armour. He's dirty, and he does his best to deny he's a hero the whole time.__-_**_Frank Miller_**

It was the taste that woke him up.

Despite what people think you can tell a lot about your surroundings, before you even open your eyes. Admittedly, loss of consciousness doesn't help your co-ordination, or logic, but surprisingly it hurts it less than you'd imagine. Oliver was cold, he knew that much. He must have lost his jacket, and he was a little damp, but it didn't feel like water. No it felt like there was a thin sheen of sweat glazing his body. His head was beginning to pound, but he didn't feel hung-over (which was odd considering). The pain in his head didn't feel that deep. There was something soft under his head, it felt like mink. He turned his face further into it, hoping to drift into sleep, but couldn't. There was too much noise; shuffling and laboured breathing all around him. He heard something hushed and soft, like muffled sobs to one side of him, and there were stifled groans coming from another side.

But none of these woke him up. Not even the gentle nudging hand on his shoulder made him want to open his eyes.

Then he tasted the blood.

Olivers eyes flew open, and immediately squinted shut, light flooded his view. _Ow…_he thought _Bright_…

"Thank goodness." Said a voice, "You're alright."

The voice sounded so old, that for a minute, Oliver thought he'd died and gone to heaven, and met his grandma. He brought a hand up to shade his eyes, and looked up more clearly. A shadow sat looking over him, behind it a light shone too bright for him to make out its face. "Who-" he tried to talk, but his voice was a croak, he coughed a little, trying to get words out.

"Here…" the voice was kind, and gentle. She handed him a canteen. Oliver smiled as the liquid passed his lips.

_Bourbon… an excellent idea…_

"You've been unconscious for quite a while dear." She said helping him sit up. As he did her face became clearer. Wrikles were pulled tighter, as her face filled with concern. Her hair was white and at one point it must have been pulled back, but now, various lengths of it were sprayed out in a wild array. Her eyes were bright blue and filled with apprehension. "How do you feel?"

Oliver rubbed his forehead. "Ouch…" he said. "Where…" he began to look around the room. Anxiety made his stomach churn, as he looked about the room, not recognising any part of it. Had he been kidnapped?

_That's just great…_ Oliver thought.

It was the taste in his mouth that made him uneasy. He swallowed back the blood in his mouth, with a little shiver. What the hell had happened? "Where are we?"

"Oh, you must not remember. Dr Abbott said you might not. They took us to a lower level in the tower." The old woman said. There was now a grim frown on her face. "I don't know who they think they are, shepherding us around like animals."

"Shepherding?" Oliver asked. "Who are they?"

"I'm not sure, dear." The old woman shrugged. "One of them came in earlier, told us that we had been taken to serve the Kandorian Empire. Now, my son has warehouses in more countries than there are communal diseases in Phuket, and I have never heard of this… 'Kandorian Empire.' I'm fairly certain that it's something to do with the Russians. You can never trust them. Those Communists have been undermining Capitalist intentions for generations…"

Realising that this nice old lady was a Cold war gal, Oliver took this time to zone out her poster-girl audition speech for HUAC, and looked around the room. He racked his brains trying to figure out what happened. There were small groups of people huddled together in two's and threes, all very dressed up, and very much undone.

In one corner a middle aged man, was bent over another, who lay on the floor. It looked as though he had put his jacket around the man's chest. He was dabbing at the other man's forehead. The man on the floor looked in a bad way. There was blood on the middle aged man's face, and the lenses of his small circular glasses. Oliver felt sick watching, anger and confusion bubbling in his stomach.

He turned away, and looked at where they were being held. The walls and floor were concrete, no finishes to them. There were fluorescent lights over head, and no windows, only what appeared to be chicken wire to one side. Oliver could see shadows moving around on the other side of the wire. _Guards probably… with guns… _he thought.

Scanning the room again, Oliver's eyes fell on something, or more appropriately, someone familiar. It was the girl from the opening in the plum dress. Her full face fringe looked a little more unkempt than before, and she sat with her back to the wall, and hugged her knees to her chest. It seemed apparent that her confidence wasn't as it was the first time they'd met, and she looked scared, and shy, so much smaller than she did up at the opening. She bit her lip, and her eyes were wide as the flitted between her fingers and a man who kept pacing next to the chicken wire. She looked absolutely terrified. Oliver felt he should go over and talk to her, but he couldn't think of anything to say. There was nothing he could do, and he hated it. That feeling of being useless, knowing that someone was going to have to correct his mistake, save his ass… not to mention the fact that all these people in here with him were trembling in fear, and there was nothing he could do to help.

Then he remembered, fishing something out of his pocket, he walked over and sat next to the girl. "Hey." He said

"Hi." She whispered, looking at him with a frown.

Oliver pulled out the cellphone he'd borrowed, "Um… here's your phone." He said. "I don't know how much use it is in here but… you could try to call 911?"

"I'm fairly certain we're underground." She said taking the phone; her voice was a monotonous whisper.

Oliver frowned as images flashed in front of his eyes; shuffling downstairs, shoving, and bashing... A bag shoved over his head… Crowds jostling him… the concrete hitting him in the chest… The smell of dust and plaster...

"Besides…" her voice snapped him out of it, as she was showing him the screen of her cell, as it went dark. "… You rinsed out my battery."

"Sorry about that." He said. "My friend… she had to-uh… Tell me something important."

"Your friend?" the girl said with a raised eyebrow. "I thought it was your wife?"

Oliver rolled his eyes, remembering Chloe's self-satisfied little laugh over the phone. "Yeah… she has a twisted sense of humour."

The girl's face didn't look any less confused but she looked away, as though accepting it. Oliver kept his eyes on her face, and notice the crease return between her eyebrows as her eyes fell on the man by the chicken wire. Oliver glanced over, and finally recognised him.

Grayson Friar was an heir of oil. Texas born, he had been a freshman at Yale with Oliver, when Oliver was a junior. He knew him… more or less. And he knew he was not patient, and didn't take well to insults or patronising. He'd had enough of it from his daddy, before he died. Oliver realised that the girl was worried, and fearful, but not of Friar. No… it seemed she was more worried for him.

"Your date seems antsy." Oliver said.

She smiled at that, a ghosted, tired smile, but a smile none the less. "He hates waiting." She said.

Oliver nodded, noting how talking about Friar made her relax.

"Y'know," she said, leaning over to Oliver with a grin. "Once he bought a movie theatre right there on the spot, so that he could go to the front of the line to get tickets." She chuckled.

Oliver laughed too "How'd you two meet?"

Her smile broadened. "I was his PA." she said. "He fired me, so he could ask me out, and when I said no, he blackmailed some photographer into doing my portfolio free of charge.

"And he came to every shoot." She said, her eyes watching the pacing man as he stopped and leaned against the chicken wire, "And he was there at my first runway shoot… He's always been there… God! I hated him at first, 'cause he fired me… but then…"

Oliver smiled as he watched her eyes sparkle and she completely relaxed. Her legs weren't bunched against her chest anymore, and her arms lay docilely against her legs. She looked perfectly at peace. Oliver smiled, surprised it had actually worked. Suddenly he felt something warm in burn in his chest, but not burn so much as… he couldn't explain it, but watching her slip into relaxation made this warmth fill his chest… it felt… good… like he hadn't felt in months. Months of numbness, and quick flashes of agony had made him almost forget what good felt like.

Suddenly a shadow fell across her face, and she looked troubled again.

Oliver frowned. "What's wrong?"

She said nothing for a little while, staring beyond the chicken wire, at the shadows on the other side. "What are they going to do to us?"

Oliver put a hand on her shoulder. Not sure how to answer, he was still a little in the dark as to what exactly was going on. He decided not to let the girl dwell on this. "I'm Oliver Queen."

She looked at him with an amused little frown. "We've all been taken hostage and you're networking?"

"Well then I guess time is of the essence." Oliver said with a smile. "Y'know, generally, the reply to someone introducing themselves is another introduction." He prompted her.

She eyed him, a little between confusion and amusement. But in the end she gave him a little smile and offered her hand. "Amanda." She said.

"Well," Oliver said, "It's very nice to meet you Amanda, and I think you should know that were the circumstances different, I would probably be buying you a drink right now."

She raised an eyebrow "do you mean if I didn't have a boyfriend, and you weren't married, or if we hadn't been taken hostage by a mononymed psychopath?"

"Mononymed?" Oliver frowned.

"Yeah," the girl said. "Guy who came in here before…? Talking about an Empire…? Said his name was-"

"Zod…" Oliver whispered.

The girl nodded, "Yeah." She said. "By the way, it was really brave what you did for that old Lady."

"What I did?" Oliver asked in an even quieter whisper, things began to get even more scrambled in his mind.

"Yeah!" she said with a smile. "Oh wait, you don't remember…"

Oliver just looked at her with a frown, What was she talking about?

"I guess you hit the ground pretty hard."

"What I did…?" Oliver whispered as it suddenly all came back to him.

_Zod was apparently no less intimidating close up. Oliver stood up as he entered, feeling anxious as the major took slow steps inward. The room was crowded, but somehow everyone managed to find room to back into. It was as if they knew who he was, without knowing who he was. _

_Oliver watched as Zod scanned the cell, looking into each of the faces that greeted him. As his eyes fell on Oliver, they lingered. Oliver swallowed, he felt like he should look away, since he left his leathers behind, he'd felt a lot more vulnerable. Maybe he wouldn't have been so hesitant to defy him if he had a crossbow in his hands. _

"_I am Major Zod. I am here to offer you a choice." Zod said. His voice was strange. It didn't feel like he was shouting but his voice managed to fill that entire room. He stepped forward into the room, the crowds parting for him. "Your world has been tainted by your actions, brought to the brink of destruction. I have come to redeem it." _

"_What are you Jesus or something?" Oliver heard someone mumble behind him._

"_The Empire of Kandor now holds claim over this planet." Zod said as he stopped pacing "When the sun rises we will take power from your world leaders, your unions. What happens next is up to each of you."_

_Oliver watched him warily. _What is he getting at…?

"_You have been chosen, because you are the most affluent, talented, and intelligent people on this Earth. I am offering you a proposition._

"_Join me," he said slowly and clearly. "Join me, swear allegiance to Kandor, and we will build a paradise on this Earth." _

"_Are you insane?" a woman in the crowd said fairly loudly._

_Oliver heard people behind him arguing. __"Qu'est-ce que c'est Kandor?"_

"_Tu n'a pas la dit juste." _

"_que está loco de la cabeza_"

"_Look here, son."Oliver watched as a middle-aged man, all moustaches and narrow eyes, with a Georgian accent. "Now, I know that this may be a little confusin' to you, but… I've been on six con'inents, and I aint never heard o' no Kandor. I think you may need a little-"_

_He was cut off as Zod's fist rammed into his chest. He skidded back and hit the floor with a bang, which everyone felt. Everyone in the room gaped and squirmed further away from the major. The Georgian on the floor began to cough and splutter. Another man crouched next to him_

"_Are you crazy? What did you do to him?" the man hissed. _

_Oliver was the only one that frowned; something wasn't quite right. _I've seen Clark hit a guy like that and watched him ram through eight walls… _he thought. What was happening, did Zod not have the same powers as Clark?_

"_I will not say this again." Zod said. "Swear your allegiance to Kandor, or you will be put to death."_

"_What is this Kandor?" An old woman in a mink coat piped up. "Is this some kind of Communist invasion? I'll have you know that I can make one phone call and have this place surrounded by marines."_

_Zod said nothing, and seemed to ignore her. _

"_Are you listening to me?" the woman said, her voice flaring up. "listen you ingrate! Do you know who I am? If you even touch me I can have you in the chair in thirty minutes! Do you hear me? Listen you bastard-"_

_Oliver watched in horror as Zod marched over to her, knowing what he was capable off. "This insolence can not be tolerated old woman."_

"_Oh what are you going to do about it?" she said. "Look at this man!" she said turning to the others, "Major Zod! He's nothing to fear; doesn't have the nerve to kill me. My grandfather was an Admiral, and if I wasn't afraid of him, I certainly won't fear yo-"_

_Suddenly Zod clamped one hand around her neck, choking out a cry from the old lady. The crowds around were too stunned to do anything. The woman clawed at his wrist, her eyes flying wide open in fear, which apparently she did feel. Her mouth gaped as she tried to get pleas out, but nothing came. _

_Zod's face contorted into satisfaction as he watched her face turn bright red and her gasping breaths become more desperate. Then, suddenly, as her hands began to give out, Zod was thrown off her, and was tumbling into the crowds into one of the members of the crowds, and the woman fell to her knees on the floor._

"_That's enough."_

_Oliver stood between Zod and the woman, a frown was set in his face. If he had thought he wouldn't have done anything. But thinking wasn't exactly what he was doing right about now. He still wasn't certain how he'd managed to throw Zod off the old woman, especially, if Zod was Clark's blood type, but right now he was thanking, God, Jesus, Providence, Buddah, Elvis, anyone who had made it possible. _

_Zod rose to his feet and turned to face Oliver; he wiped a little blood from his mouth, and grinned. "Oliver Queen, I presume." He said, in a calm slow drawl. "I have to say, I had hoped that I wouldn't have to kill you. I learned from reliable sources that you are quite the ally."_

He knows my name. _Oliver's eyes narrowed, _I don't like that he knows my name. _He thought. He turned away from Zod, and gave the old lady a hand "Here," he said, "You alright."_

_The old woman mumbled something or other, and clutched at her neck, backing slowly away from Zod._

"_in lieu of this, I will give you one last chance." Zod said. "Join me, and I will ensure your survival."_

_Oliver turned to face him, and made a face. "Sorry…" he said. "I'm not really into the whole tormenting old ladies thing." _

"_Is that a no?"_

_Oliver said nothing, but slowly pulled off his jacket and tie._

_Zod watched him as he threw the jacket onto the floor, and the tie joined it. He smiled, "You do realise you've signed your own death warrant?"_

_Oliver turned with a little smirk, but said nothing, _

_Several of the guards approached the chicken wire fence, but Zod raised a hand. "No." he said, glancing at them. "This one is mine."_

_Oliver watched Zod warily, as he began to circle Oliver. He felt like every eye was on him. He couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable, like he was a Gladiator about to put on a show for the adoring public. _

_Sadly he didn't have much time to think about it, before Zod had grabbed him by the collar. _

What?

_And rammed his fist into Oliver's stomach, winding him._

What?

_And bashed his head against the concrete wall._

WHAT?

_Needless to say, other than the ridiculous amount of pain Oliver was feeling, he couldn't help but feel surprised as he slumped down the wall, and landed in a pile on the floor. Oliver had always been a little proud that despite Clarks mind-blowing strength, that he had always had more honed, more controlled skills, that had usually given him an advantage, when Clarks powers gave out . Clark relied on his strength so much he never thought to he had to learn to fight. Perhaps Oliver had been expecting Zod to fight like Clark… He didn't. _

_The last thing Oliver registered before he lost consciousness was the muffled sound of laughter… and quiet sobs._

"He beat me up…" Oliver breathed, as though he had come to a surprising conclusion.

"Yeah he did." Amanda said. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be." Oliver said. "I deserved it." And in his estimation he did. He should have known that a military man would know how to fight better than a farm boy. He should have known better. "What happened after I lost consciousness?"

Amanda looked down. "Everyone left with Zod." She said quietly, sombrely. "Grayson was ready to fight him after what happened to you, but I made him stay. He has a heart condition." She explained. "Everyone but the people you see here signed their allegiance to Zod."

Oliver looked around him, his mouth hung agape. There were only eight people left in that room.

Eight… out of nearly two hundred…

_Damn…_

"But that was over three hours ago..." Amanda began.

Oliver turned to her and noticed that her breathing had picked up. "Hey, calm down…" he said. "Nothing's-"

"He said... " She began, as tears built up in her eyes. "He said he'd kill us if we didn't join him… but that was over three hours ago…"

Oliver swallowed; the complete dejection in her face was almost too much for him to take.

"What's going to happen to us, Oliver?"

Oliver honestly didn't know. He knew Chloe had been watching him at the opening but… after the way he spoke to her, he couldn't be sure she'd save him… but the others. Chloe had never let down innocent people before. Oliver's eyes flitted to the man on the floor with a jacket for a bandage, and the man (who Oliver had assumed was Dr Abbott) who's face was so hopeless it made Oliver's heart drop, the old woman, who subconsciously rubbed at her neck, Grayson Friar, pacing with anxious worried eyes, and Amanda who bit back sobs, as tears ran down her cheeks.

_God…_

Silently Oliver prayed that Chloe hadn't changed as much as he had.

* * *

><p>It seemed all it had taken for Bart to come back to her was to hear that Oliver was in danger. He'd immediately dropped his Mushu Pork, and was in Watchtower before Chloe had hung up, with a thousand questions, and a look which was somewhere between confusion, worry, and intense anger. She hadn't even fully explained what was going on before he had gone and fetched the others, appearing with three gusts of wind that had Chloe's hair resembling a scarecrow mimicking Einstein.<p>

Apparently the others were equally as confused, and startled. But as soon as Chloe told them, their faces began to resemble that of Bart.

"So it's pretty obvious that we have to go get Ollie right?" Victor said, moving to stand in front of one of the consoles. "What do we know about this tower Chloe?"

"It seems pretty tight." Chloe said. She hit at a few keys, and a thermal view of the building came up. "Luthorcorp satellites are constantly monitoring it for some reason, I get the feeling that they've been synced to the tower. These images are coming off the satellites as we speak."

Chloe hit another few keys, and the plans for each floor were seen. There were several dots moving around in the blueprints. "As you can see there are guards on each floor and surrounding the building. Also from what I can tell, there are security cameras monitoring each floor, and room."

"Can you hack into them?" AC asked.

Chloe gave him a look. "Can you speak fish?"

"I don't speak fish, I told you guys, I-"

"No one cares AC." Vic interjected.

Bart snickered in the corner behind his bag of chips, and Chloe smiled. It was almost as though they had fallen back into place. Nothing really seemed different. She turned back to her console.

"It shouldn't be too hard to get you in." Chloe said. "The doors are electronically activated, and it seems they are all linked into the towers main database. If I hack in I can get you all in."

Dinah frowned "And what if you can't hack in?"

Chloe snickered. "I can hack in."

"I just think we should have a back up plan in case-"

"I can hack in." Chloe said, her voice a little more irritated.

"Okay…" Dinah looked away from Chloe.

"All else fails, I can jack into the system…" Victor said. He turned to Chloe. "Chloe can access my database remotely"

"And then we kick some ass!" Bart exclaimed, sputtering through the chips in his mouth.

Chloe nodded. "Guys" she said, her tone serious. "I want you all to remember that this is a rescue mission. I don't want you going in all guns blazing before we know what we're up against."

AC frowned. "What's there to know? Some creeps took Ollie… we take them out."

Chloe bit the inside of her lip. Victor noticed and frowned. "Chloe?" he said. "What aren't you telling us?"

They all zoned in on her then. Chloe looked from one to the other. "Guys, I haven't even confirmed-"

"Chloe, just tell us." Dinah said. "What is it?"

Chloe sighed, and nodded. She hit a few keys on her keyboard, and an image appeared on the screen. The face made Chloe's stomach turn.

"This is Zod." Chloe said.

"Zod who?" Bart asked.

"Just Zod."

"Seriously? Who only has one-"

"Bart!"

"Sorry –licious."

Chloe sighed and continued. "Zod is from Krypton… he was the one who blew up Clark's home planet."

The whole room was silent. Chloe bit her lip realising that maybe they weren't ready for this…

"And you thought that wasn't important information… why?" Victor asked.

"Because I wasn't planning on any of you running into him." Chloe said. "Look, I don't even want you to think about attacking Zod. There's a good chance that he has the same powers as Clark and half the restraint-"

"Then wouldn't it be a _really _good idea to get him out of the picture?" Dinah said. "Chloe, think about what a guy like that could do to the planet?"

"Dinah's right, Chloe." AC said. "Why don't we just take him out and have done? I know you got some green K here somewhere…"

"AC-"

"Chloe! This guy blew up Clark's planet, _his own _planet. What makes you think he will think twice about doing that to ours?"

"Actually."

There was a voice from the doors behind them, they all turned to look at who it was, and Chloe's mouth fell open.

"_He_ didn't."

There, in the doorway, the last place Chloe would have looked for him. Was Clark Kent.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:<strong> AND NOW THE CHAPTER HAS BEEN READ!_

_I really hope you enjoyed it, and that whether you enjoyed it or didn't that you would just gimme a teeny tiny review. Do and i'll love you forever... promise..._

_Plus, now that exams are over, i'm going to do my best to update more regularly. Only thinking of you!_

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes_

_XXXX_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: **__Smallville: Superman the Early Years, and Superman, the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics._

_**A/N: **__I had planned to make this one really LOOOONG chapter, but then I realised… it was really long… I know groundbreaking conclusions there. -_- Anyhow, I would first of all like to apologise that I haven't got this out sooner, I know I promised regular updates, and I will be better (promise!), but between CRBs, and innoculations, I've been a little… everywhere… everywhere except fanfic. _

_Gonna take this stellar opportunity to thank my reviews, and readers, Oh and those who favorited this! I could not believe the amount of people who favourited this story, thank you all, you keep me going (seriously)_

_Special thanks again to __**Isabel5**__, __, and __**GoChlollie**__, for their reviews on the last chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I'm still a little nervous about writing the JL. _

_Anyway you don't want to hear me prattling on about… stuff, so on with the story._

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xxxx_

* * *

><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter Five**

_One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised__ - __**Chinua Achebe**_

Chloe knew she should be relieved. Clark turning up at a time like this was so unprecedented, so unexpected, and Chloe knew with his addition to the operation, there was little chance of failure. But as she watched him slide into the make-up of Watchtower, she couldn't help but feel ill at ease. The look on his face was not the same as that of Dinah, Bart and the others. It had that same determination, but… there were slight differences that only Chloe would have noticed; like the way his eyes didn't narrow in confusion like the others, and how worry didn't crease his brow. It made her apprehensive, and she was wary to welcome him as the others had.

"What took you so long, amigo?" Bart asked immediately, zipping up to him and giving him a playful shove. "I'm used to waiting on you, but these guys-"

"I didn't get the call." Clark interrupted, knowing how long Bart could go on for. His eyes turned to Chloe, who held his gaze with a stoic look, before looking down at her desk.

The others looked between the two, noticing that tension that wasn't normally there. Victor began to wonder what had happened while he'd been gone.

"O…kay…" AC said slowly, glancing between Clark and Chloe.

Dinat turned to Clark with a frown, "But if you didn't get the call," she wondered out loud. "What're you doing here?"

Clark glanced at her, his frown not changing, before moving toward the screen which had Zod's stoic face plastered across it, and looking up at it. "There's something you should know," he said, "About Zod."

"Are you about to tell us how he went nuclear on your planet, and wiped out your entire race?" Victor asked, "Because, Chloe gave us the cliff notes."

Chloe watched him with a frown. He didn't seem surprised that they knew.

_Then again_, she thought with a roll of her eyes, _that's what happens when you have super__-__hearing_.

Clark turned to face them, "The Zod on Earth now is not the same Zod who destroyed Krypton."

Chloe's frown deepened as he turned to face her. "He's not the Zod that possessed Lex four years ago." Clark said.

"Not the same Zod…" Chloe murmured, her head beginning to hurt. "I don't understand."

Clark nodded and walked toward Chloe's desk. "Before Krypton was destroyed," he began. "My father was working on technology that would preserve the Kryptonian Culture, and allow our race a chance at life on another planet."

Clark reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a photo, and placed it on Chloe's desk, sliding it toward her. Chloe took a closer look. The photo was of a spherical device, and there was an insignia to one face of it. The insignia had four diamond shapes, arranged in a cross formation.

"This orb contained traces of DNA from the strongest, smartest, and most talented Kryptonians from the city of Kandor." Clark said.

"I cannot keep up with this Krypto-speak…" mumbled AC rubbing his temples.

"Okay, we get that Jo-rel was … doing that." Dinah said, making a face and waving a hand toward the photo. "But what does this mean for us?"

"Yeah." Bart asked "What's this gotta do with 'Just Zod.'" He sent a pointed look to Chloe, who tried to suppress a smile, shaking her head.

"Zod's DNA was also taken." Clark said.

"But I thought he was evil," Bart said, "Why would they let him live?"

Clark shrugged, "Jo-rel didn't tell me why. Maybe he threatened him or coerced him somehow."

"Look, the why and how is not important." Chloe interjected. "All that's important now is the fact that he _is _here, and he has Oliver."

"Which means the guys that took Oliver were Kryptonian." Dinah surmised.

Clark nodded sombrely.

Victor seemed to be thinking this over very deeply. "Wait a sec," he said, "If they're Kryptonian like you," he asked, "What's with the Mac 10's?"

Chloe's eyes flipped over to Clark, whose face turned a whole new shade of grim, at the mention of the guns. "That's actually what I came to talk to you guys about."

_Oh, _NOW_ you talk to us, _Chloe thought, but she bit her lip. As much she wanted to tear him a new one, now wasn't the time to get into this.

"This solar tower they've built," Clark was saying. "It's designed to give the Kandorians their powers. Jor-El told me that he'd stripped them of their powers before completing the orb."

"Why would he do that?"

Clark shrugged again. "Maybe he didn't want the Kryptonians to take over whatever planet they ended up on."

"Which is what they will do if we give them the chance to…" AC mused.

While all this information, put a new light on things, Chloe couldn't help how her eyes narrowed at Clark. Normally she would have accepted his help and his information. But things were far from normal nowadays. It wasn't unfair to say that she couldn't fully trust his motives. "How long have you known all this Clark?" she asked.

He looked a little confused. "Excuse me?"

Chloe walked around her desk, not once taking her eyes off of Clark. She moved toward him, her expression never changing. "Colour me sceptical," she said, "'cause I find it a little strange that after how many months of radio silence, you're suddenly unloading all of this info."

Clark met her gaze, but the confusion on his face was replaced with something Chloe couldn't put a name to. Yet still she searched for the answer to her question on his face. "How long have you known?" she asked again.

Clark said nothing, and was unmoved.

"Right." Chloe said, nodding her head. She walked back to her desk, sighing in frustration.

"Look," Clark said. "It's not important now, where this is coming from, or how long I've known. What's important now is taking down that tower."

"You should have told us sooner man." Victor said, folding his arms over his chest.

Clark turned to him with a scowl, "And how was I supposed to tell you, any of you when you disappear for months?"

"Would you have?" Chloe asked looking up at him.

This time, Clark averted his eyes. Perhaps he was a little ashamed about leaving her in the lurch. Chloe's expression softened slightly and she moved away from a still delicate topic. "How much time do we have until that tower sets of the Kryptonians like dynamite?" she said lifting her coffee to take a sip.

"I'm not sure." Clark said. "It all depends on whether or not they have the Book of Rau."

Chloe almost chocked in shock.

Bart raised an eyebrow, "A book of what now?"

"So now that the world is facing imminent peril, will you tell me what that damn thing does?" Chloe almost yelled, slamming down the cup.

"I was trying to avoid this situation altogether, but-"

"No Clark." Chloe said. "You were trying to do whatever you could not to trust me. Again!"

"Guys!" Dinah snapped. Chloe and Clark turned to her. "We haven't got time to watch you two have a domestic, remember? Oliver's life is in danger; we have to get him out of there."

Chloe sighed, and relented, sitting down at her desk.

"Oliver can take care of himself." Clark said. "What we have to do is take out that tower."

Chloe was wondering where Clark was getting off telling her team what they have to and do not have to do, when AC interjected.

"Dude, we're not abandoning Ollie." He said.

"Got that right," agreed Bart.

Victor seemed to be in thought again. "He does have a point though," He mused.

Silence fell over the room, and everyone's eyes turned to Victor. Dinah's jaw dropped.

"You should probably rephrase that," AC said.

"Hear me out-"

"What's there to hear?" Bart asked, outraged, "You wanna leave Ollie to die-"

"That's not what I said." Victor said. "I want Ollie out of there as much as all of you. But if we only focus on Ollie, and let the Kandorians get there powers, we're gonna have a lot more to worry about than Oliver being stuck in a tower with super-powered psychopaths."

This seemed to quiet the team. Bart seemed to be thinking this over.

"So you're saying we should take out two birds with one ambush?" Dinah asked.

Victor nodded. "Take Oliver out of there, and take Zod out-"

"Woah!" Chloe interrupted. "Pump your brakes there tin man! No one is taking Zod out."

"Chloe-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Chloe said raising a hand to cut him off. "We are nowhere near ready to attack Zod head on powers or not. You've all been out of action for months guys! How do you expect to face him and his trained army of Clarks?"

Clark appeared quite impatient. "Chloe we don't have time to get ready." He said. "The tower is finished, and now he's taken Oliver, and the other hostages. Chloe he's moving already, and we can either face him head on, or wait for him to bring the fight to us."

Chloe pursed her lips and looked over her options. It was either, accept Clarks help, and get Oliver out, or try and do it alone… The trouble was, the amount Clark hadn't told her could be detrimental to their efforts… What if he'd been hiding something else to 'protect' her, and the opposite happened. She hadn't been able to say this for a long time, but… Chloe looked over at Clark, and began to wonder if she could trust him.

She looked at the team. _What if one of them gets hurt…_ she thought as she looked over each of them. Dinah gave Chloe a shrug.

"Chloe it can't hurt to try." She said.

Chloe chewed at her lip, nervously. _But it really can… _she thought. She began to feel overloaded with this huge decision. Oliver was far better at making these kinds of choices. Chloe couldn't think of a time when she wished he was there more; he always seemed to know the best choice to make in the worst situation.

That was when Chloe's answer dawned on her.

"Let's do it." She said. "Gear up."

Bart was about to say something, when Chloe interjected with a sigh, "There's spare gear for each of you in the lockers."

Chloe rolled her eyes and wondered how they got on without her.

* * *

><p>"Sign here"<p>

The process was the same for them all. 179 of the humans had agreed to go with Zod, agreed for alliance in exchange for their lives. That alliance included signing over all of their funds, property, shares, and other assets to Zod. Alia was overseeing the process, with one of the human technicians arranging the papers. It was a psychological measure, to calm the humans with some kind of familiarity.

On Krypton, Alia was a Special Operations Officer. Often she would do things others would find… unkind, shall we say. When she was a child, doctors had told her parents that her ruthlessness would lead her into a strong military career. They told her that she would excel in this field… and she did.

Most Privates, make Sergeant in eight years, Alia did it in three. Most soldiers on Krypton are placed in Special Operations after two years' experience as an officer, and three examinations. Alia took one, and had five months experience. It was mostly based on a single recommendation, from Major Zod. He described her as a 'prodigy,' and 'unstoppable.' Few have been described as such by Major Zod.

But Alia was special. She was very special, and she knew it.

So she didn't appreciate that after everything she'd done on Krypton, that she was brought to nearly nothing, powerless and pitiful on this dirt planet.

"Initial here." The human told the man.

Alia watched the man sign the document. He was a little man. Not much at all. But he had a very large pocket. The humans, the woman Tess, had working for her, seemed to know it well.

"Are there any other accounts or details we should know about you, Sir?"

"Nope. Everything's there." The man said with a shrug. He shrugged a lot when he was nervous, Alia noted. And he perspired when he was scared… so had most.

"You're certain." Alia asked,

The man recoiled from the expression on her face. "Absolutely, ma'am."

She searched his eyes for a moment, before letting a slow smile slide across her face. "Then please," she said, "This way." She gestured to a door to the side of the room, which had a glass panel to it.

The man walked into the room, eyes darting around anxiously.

Behind him, Alia turned to the human at the desk. "How many after this one."

"Thirty-two." He said.

"Well then we're making good time." She said. "We should be done well before sunrise."

He sighed, and turned away as she followed the little man into the room. The man was now beginning to look very frightened.

"What is this?" he asked. "There's nothing here?"

And there was. The walls were perfectly plain, and void of anything except the concrete. There were no doors, no furniture, nothing except a fluorescent light, that flickered at odd intervals, serving more to set the man on edge.

"You're wrong." Alia said, walking up to him with a small smirk.

Burying a fist into his gut, Alia balanced him as he bent over gasping and chocking for air. She straightened, as he dropped to his knees on the floor.

She pulled out a gun from behind her back, and pressed the silencer into the back of his neck. "There's still me." She whispered.

The gun spat once, and the man dropped to the floor in a lump. Blood began to pool out from under him.

Alia scowled, disappointed. She hated the weapons the woman had given them. They made her feel weakened, like she needed a foolish piece of machinery to kill someone. But it was a necessary measure until they got their powers. Alia stepped out of the room, and shut the door behind her.

She grimaced as she watched, the floor lower into the darkness below, taking the human body, and all evidence of what had happened with it.

"Seriously, I don't understand" The human at the desk said. "Why do they all have to die?"

Alia shot him a glare. "You wouldn't understand."

"You're right." He said turning back to the computer screen. "After all, who can ever understand psychopaths?"

Alia's eyes narrowed, a little irked at being called a psychopath. "These humans were too selfish."

"Selfish?"

"They gave over everything they had in exchange for their lives." Alia snapped "They had no loyalty to their county, their planet… not even their race."

"So they deserved death?"

Alia nodded "People who hand over everything for their own skins, will only ever do so." She said.

The human frowned. "What d'you mean?"

Alia turned to look at him. "As easily as he turned on his race, he would turn on us."

"But his life was at stake…"

Alia turned away, her face stoic as she replied. "One life is not worth anything, when compared with the survival of an entire race." She said. "Those still in the cell truly understand this."

The human watched her and shook his head. "I still don't think you should have killed them."

"I could kill you if you'd like." Alia said, "Then I wouldn't have to hear your opinions."

The human refused to show how that reminder made him uneasy.

"Send the next one in." Alia said.

* * *

><p>It was too late for second guessing now; Chloe knew that, Operation, Good vs. Zod was well underway. That didn't stop the uneasiness in her stomach swelling and making her chew her lip like crazy. She was surprised she hadn't drawn blood yet.<p>

The plan was simple enough. There was a supply door to the tower, which was controlled electronically. Chloe would remotely force the door open, and Impulse and Canary would go in.

"Watchtower to Impulse, I can only give you 0.83 seconds, before that door shuts, so…"

"Fast, I get it" Bart said over the comm. Chloe could practically hear the brag. "Hop on Birdy"

"Black Canary to Watchtower He calls me that again," Dinah said her voice thick with threat "And there might be a case of friendly fire."

"Play nice guys." Chloe said. She could almost pretend that it was any normal operation (normal taken in the broadest of terms). "Impulse, are you sure you don't need more time? I can try to-"

"Don't worry about me, beautiful." He said, Chloe could imagine that self-satisfied smirk on his face. She shook her head.

"Just… be careful guys." She said quietly, so quietly, she wasn't sure they'd even heard her.

"Relax Chloe," Victor said. "We'll be fine."

_I can only hope._ Chloe thought. Which was all she could do… she'd done everything else. Before they'd left, Chloe had snuck them all lumps of Meteor Rock, as a security measure.

"_Security measure"_ Dinah had asked her eyes turned to Clark. "_You worried about…_" she knew Clark'd hear if she mentioned him.

Chloe had glanced at him, and wondered if she was. "_Not exactly… Just…_" she tried to explain. "_Take it… to put my mind at ease._"

Dinah had seemed to understand, as had the others. So Chloe could only sit behind her screens and hope that they wouldn't have to use those little green rocks.

"Watchtower to Impulse," Chloe said into her comm, "Make for the door in five… four…" she typed in the code "three… two…"

Chloe heard a whoosh sound and, a little squeal. "Impulse to Watchtower, Canary and I have entered the building- Oh Sh-"

There were sounds of a struggle. Chloe didn't even notice she was holding her breath as she listened. Then there was silence.

"Impulse…?" she said. "Canary? Status?"

There was more silence. Chloe eyes widened, "Impulse?" she said "Canary?"

"Dammit!" Bart shrieked suddenly

"Dammit What?"

"Dropped my comm." He said, "as I was saying, Canary and I have entered the building safely, there was a minor skirmish but it's dealt with- What's that…? Oh, Dinah says she's broken her comm. Gonna be radio silence on her end."

"Stay together then," Chloe said. "I need to know where you guys are. Impulse, the code for the door override is 005429HQB."

Everything appeared to be going to plan. "…I think it's working" Bart said.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well it's green… and it says Manual Override Complete."

"Watchtower to Cyborg, are you in position."

"Cyborg to Watchtower," victor said over the comm. "We're at the supply door, awaiting instructions."

"I have confirmation from Canary and Impulse that the override is complete. You're in."

"Understood."

Inside the building, Dinah and Bart were supposed to find Oliver who, from what Chloe could tell of the thermal scans should be at basement level. Meanwhile, AC, Victor and Clark would head up to the Top Level, where the thermal scans had picked up on another, larger amount of heat signatures. "Okay guys, you know what you need to do." Chloe said. "Be careful… Please?"

"Yes Mom." AC said, Chloe could hear the laugh in his voice.

"Remember Oliver is-"

"Priority Number One, Yes Chloe, we know." Dinah said tiredly.

"And if anything starts to look bad-"

"We exit the building" Victor finished. "Chloe, as much as I enjoy the mothering-" Chloe's eyes narrowed at the implication. "Please stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Et la est tout! Yeah my French grammar is terrible, I'm gonna stick to English…_

_But don't care what language you speak in…_

_IF YOU REVIEW!_

_Please, my lovelies, for my own peace of mind, review. _

_Seriously I have so many apprehensions about this chapter, and I need to know if they are founded or not. So please tell me how I did._

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xxxx_


	6. Chapter 6

**_Disclaimer: _**_Smallville: Superman the Early Years, and Superman, the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics._

**_A/N:_**_ So i have sufficiently proven that the whole regular thing is not happening... I did try to get this one out last week... i did! I promise! _

_Well, improptuity aside, i would like to first of all dedicate this chapter to Isabel 5. It was her birthday... about... two weeks ago (I know, i'm like this with all my presents, ask my ex). She is an inspiration to me, especially when it comes to writing JL fics, i may have said this before, but it is as true now as it was then, she is awesome! Seriousy._

_Second i would like to thank all of my wonderful and beautiful reviewers! (i have no idea what you look like). Special thanks, prayers, and blessings go to **whatweareafraidof, kdrenai, ica013, serafina19, , halliwelldream, Tuppence, GoChlollie, **and **katheryn.** and to all those who didn't review, but subscribed, i love you too, thank you for reading it! i did try to reply to most reviewers, if i didn't reply to you i apologise profusely, and if you drop me a message berating me i will say thank you personally._

_Now the chapter, please read and review, I'm still hesitant with the JL... and i have never had luck writing fight scenes. (oh, did i not mention this was a fight chapter?)_

* * *

><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter Six**

__"When evening comes, you say, ___'It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.' ___And in the morning____,___'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast"**- Matthew 16: 2-3**_

Victor Stone liked to think he had more than just the usual super-powers (that's usual in the relative sense of course). Considering, Clark had the superstrength, and Chloe that Technopathy, he figured he needed something to make himself special. My guess is he didn't think jacking up to a toaster, and making it speak French was special enough.

Dinah called it Physic powers, Bart thought that there was some kind of record that he was constantly hacking into (there was, you could find it at any police station in the Western Hemi-sphere). AC described it as "… weird." But when asked about it, Victor would simply smile mysteriously and say. "I see stuff."

And did he see stuff…

Like now for instance, Victor was noticing subtle differences in his friend Clark Kent's demeanour. While he and AC had been joking freely with Chloe over the comms to stop her worrying, Clark had given them steely glances and impatient sighs, and instead of shrugging off the wrong turn he took moment earlier, he stewed. Now Clark wasn't always Mr Happy-Go-Lucky, but there was something altogether darker about his darkness, grimer about his grimness, Victor couldn't put his finger on it, but it made him uneasy.

So he watched him warily as they climbed the stairs. Clark had kindly given them a lift up to the thirty-eighth floor, but due to the fact that secret missions (surprisingly) were not his forte, they opted to take the last few stairs up human style. AC took the lead as they climbed, watching for any people. Chloe had assured them there were no heat signatures throughout the building other than their own, but AC was still wary

"It is a building full of super-powered aliens after all." He'd said.

"Not super-powered yet…" Clark had mumbled.

And so as they climbed those last floors, Victor watched the back of his friends dark head. Everything about him was dark nowadays. When they'd worked together before, he'd been strictly red-and-blue. It seemed he opted for the darker side of things nowadays. Victor found it fairly unsettling, and so called him out on it.

"Don't get me wrong and all, I like the whole Matrix get up." Victor said. "who doesn't want a floor length leather jacket right? All I'm saying is, it's a lot different to your old uniform."

Clark said nothing, and continued to climb.

Victor decided it couldn't hurt to continue. "Makes me wonder if you're a lot different to your old self."

Clark stopped at that and turned to face Victor. AC also stopped and turned, eyebrows raised at Vic. "Dude…" he hissed.

Victor said nothing, and just watched Clark, looking for whatever it was that was pushing at his surface. But Clark's face remained emotionless, looking back at Victor with only the slightest hint of daring. "You're right Victor." He said pokerfaced. "I am very different."

Victor felt his eyes narrow subconsciously as Clark turned and walked past AC, and continued up the stairs and around the bend in them.

Victors eyes followed him, ignoring AC's hand signals that he presumed were telling him to drop it. "What happened to you man?" he asked

Clark stopped again, dead in his tracks. Victor could see only the profile of his face, but he almost saw… or maybe he imagined he saw a flash of loss cross his face. It was so brief, Victor wondered if it was real, because before he could really register it, it was replaced with that same emotionless expression, that Clark was wearing so well.

"I guess I grew up." Clark said.

Before Victor could reply AC elbowed him in the ribs and walked on up the stairs. "Watchtower, this is Aquaman, Team B is approaching the target level, and are awaiting further instructions."

Victor understood this as a 'drop it or I drop you,' warning. AC wasn't the guy who liked to be put in the middle of people's arguments. Victor glanced at Clark again, and continued up the stairs.

"Copy that Aquaman," Chloe said over the comms "Gents, the corridor you need to go through is very heavily guarded, and there isn't much I can do about that." Chloe said. "There should be a way through to the meeting space through the ventilation systems, if you look to the wall on your left, you should find an access point."

Victor looked around him, "Got it." He said into his comm. "That's awfully high up, Tower…"

Chloe was giggling again, as she said. "Well, I'm sure one of your super-friends can give you a boost Cyborg."

"You want me to climb into an air vent?" AC asked, incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Well unless you want to be served up to Zod as "Bullet Peppered Mackerel"… Yeah!"

Clark remained silent, watching stoically as AC groaned. "Come on Tower! Seriously, can't I get anything other than a fish joke?"

"Shh!" Victor said motioning to the door, "We got it, Tower. Gonna be silent on our end for a bit, don't want to alert anyone to our arrival, Okay?"

There was silence on the other end of the comm. Clark looked over at Victor and frowned. "Watchtower, do you copy?" Victor said.

Nothing but silence came over the comm. Clark began to get a little uneasy, and his frown deepened. "Where is she?" he asked Victor.

"Watchtower, do you copy?" Victor asked a little more insistent this time.

Only the buzz of the earpieces was heard.

AC asked. "What happened? She disconnect?"

Victor shook his head "Nah… she'd never…"

Clark was a little anxious. "I guess we have to go in blind then." He said and moved toward the air vent. When he realised no one was following, and felt the tickle of intense looks on the back of his neck, Clark turned to see Victor and AC looking at him like he'd grown another head.

"What?" he asked.

"Seriously?" AC replied.

"Look, Clark." Victor began, "I know you really want this Zod guy out of the picture, but… we can't go on without a connection to Chloe."

"Guys if your worried about going in blind-"

"It's not that Clark." Ac hissed. "Look, Chloe doesn't stop talking on missions. If she's not there, it means something's happened."

What neither of the other two noticed was Victor slowly moving closer and closer to a flickering light.

"Like what?" Clark asked. "You think she's in danger?"

"That's the point." AC said. "We don't know."

They also didn't notice the lights flickering in the exact same way, all the way down the hall. Victor did. After all, he "sees" stuff.

Clark sighed. "Look, our best bet, to get her out of danger is to stop Zod." He said. "We let him run loose in favour of Chloe and she'll be in even more danger, all the time and… Victor what are you doing?"

"This light…" Victor said slowly.

AC rolled his eyes. "Yes Vic, it's real pretty, but I don't think it's your type-"

"I could swear" Victor said, almost as though in a trance, ignoring AC, "… it's talking in code…"

"What?" AC snapped.

"Morse… Code…" Victor murmured. Clark and AC watched him as though he'd started leaking. Suddenly Victor looked around him. "no cameras…?" he said. "Crap…"

Victor turned and saw AC and Clark loking at him strangely. "What?"

AC watched him for a minute. "So how's the light doing?"

"Fine actually" Victor replied with a grin. "She says Scout has to show us the way."

"Oh really well… Wait… What?"

Victor grinned. "Chloe was cutting the power intermittently and making using the light to talk to us in morse code."

Both Clark and AC looked surprised. "… she can do that?"

"Apparently."

"Right… Well… How's Boy Scout gonna show us the way?"

"I'd like to know that myself-"

Victor gave him a look. "So… did you forget about the whole seeing through things… thing?"

"Right…."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Dinah Lance was thinking about how she could get away with first degree murder.<p>

"Are you and AC dating?" Bart asked her.

"What the hell-?"

"Of course you're dating, I mean, you don't take someone to Venice, _the_ most romantic city on earth, if you aint dating."

Dinah gaped at him. "I swear to God Bart-"

"Dude, I was there remember, gave you a lift, Impulse style."

Dinah was about to answer when they came to three doors, leading to three separate corridors… a fork in the road as it were. "Which way?" Dinah asked.

She was… surprised to say the least, when all he could give her was a shrug.

"You don't know?" she nearly yelled

"Yo! Keep your voice down!" Bart hissed. "_secret_ mission, remember?"

"How can you _not know_ where we're going? You're supposed to be in contact with Watchtower at all times."

"Look! I haven't heard from Watchtower since that last turning, okay?" Bart said holding his hand up in retreat. "If it makes things better, I'll call her now, okay?"

Dinah said nothing, and sulked.

"Aw Canary," Bart said with an impish grin, "Don't sulk, you're so much prettier when you're smiling."

Dinah simply rolled her eyes, and walked up to one of the doors slowly. She frowned, looking through the glass pane. She thought she saw…

"Impulse!" she hissed, and waved him over

"I can't get a hold of Chloe-" Bart said as he walked over,

"Forget that." Dinah said, pointing through the glass. "DIdn't she say the only ones down here should be the hostages?"

"Yeah…"

Dinah grinned. "Well then what are they guarding so heavily?"

Bart looked through the glass, sure enough there were three goons, with guns, congregating against a wall.

"Here's what we're gonna do." Dinah said.

* * *

><p>Despite Victors reservations, Clark had led team B apparently to Zod's location. The vent's opened out onto a ledge type balcony where the three of them only just fit, pressing their bodies into the ledge as far as they would go, moulding to to shadows. AC began to realise that it was situations such as these, wherein Clark's goth get up made more sense. He watched him a little enviously, wondering how his Bright Orange, and Green was looking in the shadows.<p>

He didn't have much time to dwell on this however. It was as they approached that they realised just how many Clarks they were dealing with.

"Holy Sh-" began AC.

"Shh!" Vic hissed.

From their position above the room, it was easy to see that the room was filled with people-Kryptonians. AC swallowed nervously, and looked over at Clark. All along one side of the room, there were floor to ceiling windows, which Victor could tell from the dim light faced east. He was a little surprised to see that the sun was about to rise. He hadn't realised quite how late it was.

At the opposite end of the room, there was a raised platform, from which it seemed Zod had stepped down in the middle of his speech.

"… the power of the Gods." Zod was saying "Power beyond the imagination of the peons of this earth."

From the nods reverberating throughout the room, Victor could tell that Zod wasn't the only one who considered him a peon… Victor wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"And this power was taken from us." Zod continued "Stripped… as though we never deserved it, as though someone-anyone had the right, to say we didn't deserve it."

Zod walked back toward the raised platform. Clark watched him with a scowl, before something caught his eye.

"Tess?"

"Shh!" Victor hissed again.

"But all has been put to rights." Zod said. "The traitor, has been dealt with…"

Clark frowned, 'traitor?' He thought… Subconsiously, he lifted himself up onto his hands and knees.

"… and thanks to, Alia" zod said gesturing to a woman in the front row, "Our powers are ours for the taking."

AC watched as Clark slowly rose from his crawl, turned crouch, and began to stand. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

"it's too late…" Clark seemed to say, to no one in particular.

"On our home planet, my brothers and sisters," Zod said. "The sun bestowed upon us its strength, and gave us the power to make Kandor the greatest city ever known. It seems only fitting that a new dawn, hails the rise of Kandor once more."

Suddenly, there was a telltale Whoosh! And AC and Victor's heads snapped round to see Clark appear in front of Zod.

AC let of a chain of curses as he moved to stand, before being stopped by Victor's hand on his wrist.

"Dude?" he said "We got to get him out of there,"

A strange frown tightened on Victors face. "Just wait…"

AC's eyes narrowed, but he relented. Apparently Victor was in charge, while Mum was otherwise indisposed.

Unlike the rest of the Kryptonians, it seemed that Zod was not surprised by Clarks arrival, and even a little amused at the other's murmurs.

"Well, well, well…" Zod said with a small smile. "If it isn't the son of Jor-El himself"

"Clark?" Tess said rising with a frown.

Clark glanced at her, before turning his eyes back to Zod.

"I imagine you have the same intent as your father, before you." Zod said. "Kal-El"

Clark's eyes flashed angrily. "How do you know that name?"

"For the son of Jor-El you aren't quite as quick as he, are you?"

Clark frowned at this.

"You plan to stop me, yes?" Zod said, fighting a grin. "To save this worthless mud-race?"

Clark said nothing.

Zod nodded. "Interesting…" he said. "I should remind you that it would be more profitable for you in the long run to ally yourself with me, while it is still an option to you."

Clark watched him stoically.

Zod walked right up to him, and whispered in his ear. "Kneel before Zod."

Clark said nothing, and kept his eyes on him, remaining ram rod straight.

Zod nodded in understanding. "Very well." Zod said.

"Where is the Book of Rau?" Clark demanded.

Zod almost laughed. "Now, wouldn't you like to know."

Clark growled, and grabbed Zod around the throat, with one hand. There was a gasp throughout the room, as Clark lifted him from the ground and Zod's hands went to Clark's wrist, pulling at it, as his face began to turn red.

A strange and almost frightening look came across Clark's face. He whispered to Zod. "Yes… I would."

It was seconds after this with Zod still pulling at Clarks wrist, when Clark began to feel things change.

Gradually his arm began to feel heavy, like it couldn't support Zod's weight alone. Zod's grip on his wrist began to tighten, to the point where is was squeezing, and beginning to hurt. Victor and AC's mouths simultaneously fell open, as they watched Clarks arm lower, slowly, and Zod's feet plant on the ground, as Clarks' grip on his neck was released, and Zod's hands on his wrist had him forced onto his knees.

"What…" Clark breathed before crying out as he heard the bones in his wrist begin to shatter.

That was when Clark noticed the sunlight begin to flood the room, but there was something strange… ominous about this deep red sunrise. He looked back at Zod's face, half of it was dyed red in the sunlight, the other half shrouded in darkness, and shadow. But Clark could plainly see the smirk written across it….

… Right before Zod's fist sent him flying.

Clark always wondered what his punches felt like. Finally he had some idea. He also realised what a drywall tasted like.

"I think we should do something now," AC said.

"Yeah…" Victor said wide-eyed "…totally."

They leapt down, onto the floor below, very thankful that the drop was less than ten feet, as they rolled onto the landing, and leapt up into their battle stances.

After that everything was a bit of a blur, (no pun intended), and all either of them can remember clearly was variously finding their way on the dark side of a drywall.

* * *

><p>Bart wondered how he always ended up being the distraction. Not that he didn't enjoy being the trick play, he would just have like to have the chance to get the touchdown once in a while.<p>

But at least he didn't have a time limit. After all, no one could catch up to him if they-

"Holy Crap!" Bart cried right before he ran into a Kryptonian sized brick wall

He swerved and ran back the other way, before coming face to face with the same wall, which happened to have a very intimidating angry face.

"Where is your identification?" the wall asked.

Bart frowned, "What you talking about?"

The wall also frowned. "You are human."

"Well, human's a strong word, let's just call me awesome right about now," Bart said with a grin.

The wall did not smile. "you are not amusing." He said. "and you are trespassing. I must take you into custody."

He made a grab for him, but Bart side stepped out of the way. "Yeah, that's not gonna work for me-"

Bart dodged another grab, "Seriously it's totally gonna mess up my schedule-"

"You are fast." The wall said. "That is interesting."

The kryptonian made another grab for Bart. "And you are awfully slow." He said. "And I mean that in every sense of the word, because as I told the police in Luxmebourg 'you may not have noticed, but either, you're going to have to catch me or kill me to put me in custody-' Okay! We've gone with the killing!" Bart yelped as the krptonian tried to hit him with a right hook. Bart ran down the corridor, looking over his shoulder to see if the kryptonian was behind him.

So that he didn't notice when he ploughed right into him

"Oof!" he cried when he reverberated off of his chest and onto the floor. It's believed that it was hitting the floor, that made it dawn on Bart.

"You do not have the strength to defeat me," the kryptonian said. "you should surrender now, and not risk further injury."

"I love that you care." Bart said rising, a hand in his pocket, "But I have a job to do, and you are in my way."

He swung for the kryptonian, who caught the punch easily, before twisting Barts wrist almost yawning.

Bart felt the pain all the way up his arm, but collected his wits, and smirked. _My turn_ he thought, flipping the lid on the lead lined box in his pocket and pulling out the little green rock, that everyone seemed to have a love-hate relationship with.

The kryptonian's face crumpled as he felt pain erupt in his lower belly, turning his bones weak, and setting hot white fires against his skin. "What…" he groaned out as he bent over double, before dropping to his knees. "What have you done…"

Bart rose, and stood straight, panting a little, he looked down at the kneeling Kryptonian. He smirked, before burying his fist in the kryptionian's face. He found it strangely rewarding watching his blood spill out of his mouth.

"huh…" Bart said to himself punching him again, with the rock. "This is surprisingly fun."

The Kyrptonian slumped to a heap on the floor. Bart smiled. "Impulse to Watchtower, I don't know if you can hear me, but I am like… ten thousand times hotter right now… in case you didn't realise."

Before Bart could dwell on himself, he found himself faced with new opponents, two more kryptonians rounded the corner, and immediately began to pale at the presence of the Kryptonite.

Bart held it up proudly. "Afraid of this aren't you? Well too bad cos its not going any-"

Bart cried out as the rock blew up in his hand. "DAMMIT!" he cried, holding his now burning hand. His eyes lifted and fell on the Kryptonians again.

Bart felt that all consuming fear swell in his stomach, as he watched the smirks creep across the kryptonians faces

_Oh… shit…_ he thought.

* * *

><p>Amanda had fallen asleep on Oliver's shoulder thirty minutes ago, in that space of time Friar had come up to him. In those thirty minutes, the two had spoken more than they ever had before, and Oliver had learned something; there was a reason they didn't talk.<p>

Friar was constantly talking about hurting somebody, if not the Kandorians, then Tess Mercer, if not Tess Mercer, then his father. Oliver was shocked he had any relationship at all with Amanda, who seemed too pacific to be for real. In fact, Oliver was a little shocked that he hadn't been certified as a psychopath. It was quite frightening listening to him talk about how much he was going to make them pay.

"When I get outta here…" he began almost every sense, "I tell ya Queen… these bastards are gonna regret it."

Oliver forced a smile and a nod. "I have no doubt of that, Friar."

Oliver's attention was pulled from Friar suddenly, and all eyes turned to the man on the floor, and his companion, as he cried out

"NO! DAMMIT!" the man crouched over him immediately began to press down on the man's chest as blood began to spurt out, over his hands, and onto his shirt.

Amanda jolted awake, and Oliver got up and moved toward the man on the floor. His eyes were closed, and his mouth hung open. Blood pooled around him, and had dyed his clothes red.

It was ridiculous. The man next to him, who Oliver assumed to be some kind of doctor had been trying for hours to save the man's life. It was unfair that after all his time and hard work… Oliver pressed his fingers to the man's neck, looking for a pulse. His shoulders dropped, when there was nothing.

"It's over." He said.

The doctor didn't seem to hear him. He was staring at the dead man with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Sir?" Oliver touched the doctor's shoulder. He turned his head to face Oliver. "It's over… he's gone."

The doctor nodded, not really registering. The room was silent as everyone watched as the doctor retracted his hands from the man's bloodied body.

Oliver looked the doctor over. He wasn't a very old man, probably only around forty, but the look on his face gave him seven more years. "You did the best you could" Oliver said to him. "You know that right."

The doctor swallowed. "if he is dead…" he said "Then I most certainly did not do the best I could."

Before Oliver could answer, there was a crash outside, and the sound of shattering glass. It took Oliver about a millisecond to realise what he had to do.

"COVER YOUR EARS!" he hollered, as the glass of the lights shattered. He saw one of the Kryptonians on the other side of the chicken wire slump against it, ears bleeding.

After the shattering had stopped Oliver looked around him. The lights had failed, and there were only sparks and flashes keeping the place lit. Then out of the darkness, stepped the leather clad Canary, with a grin that flashed with the lights.

Oliver sighed in relief. "Am I glad to see you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **Hooray! Oliver has been found! Well that's one good thing... Unfortunately, the others are kind of... in the sh1t, as we like to say in London town..._

_So if you enjoyed the chapter, if you hated the chapter, if you were bored by the chapter, if you found it bourjous and ... something else, Go ahead and let me know. I will love you forever... (and that is a promise i can keep.)_

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xxx_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** _Smallville: Superman the Early Years, _and _Superman,_ the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics.

**A/N: **_I am well aware that it has been radio silence on my end for a little while now, and i sincerely apologise to all readers. I have been putting off and putting off and putting off this chapter because... well you'll find out when you read it. But I just wanted to say that I am so grateful for all the feedback this story has received. I want to thank all my reviewers so far, you guys keep me going._

_Special thanks and blessings from heaven go to those who reviewed the last chapter. Namely, **Flpirate305, ica013, Poetgirl925, halliwelldream, GoChlollie, **_and last but by no means least, **Mark .sv (**everytime i write your name, FFn always deletes it (THE BASTARDS!)**)**You guys are amazing and all of your wonderful reviews are keeping me motivated. __

__So enjoy this chapter, and do feedback, leave a review, make my day (however you want to put it) __

__Much Love__

__Darkeyes xxxxx__

* * *

><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter Seven**

_My heart has joined the Thousand. For my friend stopped running today.- __**Richard**__**Adams**_

Shaking fingers hovered over the keyboard. Chloe stared into the screens viciously working to figure out what was going on. Her head began to throb from looking at the frozen screens for too long, and the frustration was beginning to turn into panic.

Licking her lips nervously, she tried once more to reboot, hoping that it was a simple hardware problem. But no. It seemed providence had turned on her at the most inconvenient time, as usual. So far all she could ascertain was that the connection to the satellites that Chloe thrived on, was broken, or jammed or...

Chloe bit down on her lip anxiously... _or blocked, _she hesitated to think. If blocked, there was only one feasible reason, and Chloe wasn't willing to abandon hope just yet.

Knowing from IT 101, that you should always have a back-up, Chloe was close to punching herself for relying too much on the satellite connection. It was her only way of viewing the active heat signatures within the tower, and the only way for her to remain in contact with the others. Now the only information she had was from nearly twelve minutes ago. As Chloe had learned a long time ago, a lot can happen in twelve minutes.

Chloe took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. The team weren't novices, they'd run operations without her before, and they would again. Just because they couldn't hear her, and she couldn't see them didn't mean that they were fishes out of water, it just meant that SONAR was no longer an option.

_Breathe Chloe... _she told herself. _Breathe..._

* * *

><p>"Where are the others?" Oliver asked Dinah, as the group made their way out of the building.<p>

Dinah appeared to be very much in thought, but answered. "Boyscout took Aquaman, and Cyborg up to the top to face this Zod guy head on. They're trying to stop these aliens getting their powers. Impulse lost communication with Watchtower a long time ago. We've been running blind."

"Where is Impulse?" Oliver said looking around him.

"That happens to be what I'm trying to figure out." Dinah said, glancing round a corner before leading everyone down it.

Oliver glanced back at the hostages; No one appeared to be having any trouble keeping up. The doctor did seem a little distracted, but after watching a man die after hours trying to keep him alive, what could anyone expect.

Suddenly, Oliver felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning he saw it was Friar. Oliver had to say he was a little disappointed. He had hoped that Bart would sneak up on him. In all honesty he was more on edge, when Bart wasn't surprising him.

"Listen, Queen" Friar said, a stern look on his face. "Just who are these people, Cyborg, Boy scout... It just sounds like some kinda circus to me."

At risk of sounding defensive about the names he'd helped pick out, Oliver simply said. "Look, I know it's a little strange but trust me, they're friends. They're gonna get us outta this."

"Oliver..." Dinah said suddenly, sounding all too panicked for Oliver's liking. "You need to get over here now."

Oliver was there in seconds "What- Oh my God..."

Lying facedown in a heap on the floor, was Bart's unconscious body.

Oliver immediately felt panic set in, like a punch to the stomach. He knelt down next to Bart. "Bart! Can you hear me!"

"Is he..." Dinah began, not wanting to say it.

Oliver felt around for a pulse. Bart's skin was warm, and Oliver could feel him breathing laboured, heavy breaths. "He's alive... We need to get him outta here. Now."

He rose and pulled Bart up with him. Blood dribbled over his face from his scalp, and there were charred marks over his costume, where it had burned through and blistered the skin underneath. Perhaps it was the fact that Bart was so much younger than everyone else, perhaps it was just the degree of his wounds, but Oliver felt something rise up within him, gritting his teeth together and locking his jaw in anger. Realising Bart needed help, Oliver turned his attention to Dinah who was staring at Bart's body in horror.

"Dinah!" he said "Snap out of it."

Dinah blinked up at him.

"Take him, and get him to Watchtower." He said, handing Barts body over.

Dinah hesitated. "But... I need to be here... AC-"

"Will be fine." Oliver finished, "Take him and go. Now!"

Friar stepped up, and took Bart's body from Oliver. "I got him." He said to Dinah with a smile.

"Dinah. Take the others, and get them outta here." Oliver ordered.

About to argue, Dinah noticed the look in Oliver's eyes, and nodded instead. It wasn't often that Oliver had that look in his eye, but it was never argued with. She flipped open a pocket, and handed Oliver a little lead box. "You should take this. Watchtower thought it would keep us safe."

Oliver nodded. "Go with her." He said to the others.

"Why do I feel like you are about to do something foolish?" asked one of the French ladies.

Oliver said nothing. Amanda filled in for him. "We should just go. Be careful Oliver."

Oliver watched as they turned down the corridor and ran, the body of his former comrade bouncing in the arms of Friar. If he was a contemplative man, he would have wondered why after so long hiding from his hero complex, he was suddenly acting the hero, and running around in a Versace suit. But Oliver was not a contemplative man, and simply put it down to survival. He was going to make sure that his old friends stayed alive.

He flipped open the lid on the little box, and his eyes narrowed. Somehow he'd been swindled into doing what Chloe wanted anyhow. That sounded about right actually, everyone ended up doing what Chloe wanted eventually. It was one of them Sullivan-Lane mind-games. Though he did wonder how Chloe would know that they would need kryptonite.

Before he could think about this, the green rock began to glow, and Oliver smiled.

_Well, _he thought, _If I'm gonna end up doing what Chloe wants, I might as well enjoy it. _

Fisting the rock, he turned and swung. And boy did he enjoy it.

* * *

><p>The sound of footsteps echoed along the corridor, and passed Victor. Hiding in a small room, he and AC didn't dare breathe until the footsteps faded into nothing; AC was keeping a firm hand over Clark's mouth and nose, barely noticing that he was beginning to turn red. Apparently, Zod didn't pull his punches like Clark did. So, when Zod sent him hurtling into a wall, Clark felt it everywhere, and his organs and ribs were still recovering. When silence fell on them again, he let out a sigh of relief, and cracked open the door a millimetre. Across the hall was the door to the elevator. AC and he had deliberated that the quickest way down was falling... or something to that effect. With Victor's gloves he could make the descent with little trouble. But they would have to find some way to protect AC's hands, along the tough cable.<p>

"Delicate, little girl hands..." Victor had muttered under his breath.

They had decided the best way would be to rip part of Clark's shirt, and use it like bandages. Needless to say, AC did not have much confidence in this.

"If it spontaneously combusts-" AC began

"Stop being a girl." Victor hissed. "Look, you said so yourself, the elevator shaft is the quickest way outta here, right?"

"Yeah but-"

"And I told you that it's only about 700 feet down from here."

"But-"

"And," Victor continued "Did we, or did we not already stealth down fifteen flights of stairs, and past hoardes of maniacal, invincible, Kandorians, to save your precious little hands?"

Subdued, AC relented, and allowed Victor to wrap the black fabric around his hands.

"Guys-" Clark began, pained.

"It's alright man, we got you covered." AC said. "Victor's gonna go down first, with you on his back, 'kay?"

Clark nodded, Victor cracked the door a little further, "I think we can make it now." He said. "You ready?"

AC pulled Clark up onto his shoulder, and they made a break for it, dashing over to the other side of the corridor.

"Gimme a sec, and we'll get this door open." Victor said, tearing off his glove, ready to jack in.

"No time." AC said, tearing the doors apart, with a loud creak.

Victor looked horrified. "Did you forget _superhearing?_"

"Just get him outta here already!" AC fired back, holding the doors apart.

Victor heard footsteps far along the corridor, and grabbed the cable. "Get Clark on my back." He hissed.

Victor felt Clark's weight pull on his shoulders. "Gonna be honest. Never thought I'd have to do this."

AC groaned. "Shut up and go!"

"Don't rush me!"

"Now," AC hissed "is definitely the time to be rushing!"

Victor ignored him, and began descending the cable carefully, well aware of the footsteps along the corridor. Letting a bit of cable out at a time, the descent was a lot slower than he thought. But of course there was more to think about than simply getting down. Clark's groaning was a little distracting. Victor was honestly worried about Clark's state. He never figured that anyone would ever give Clark lasting pain. Not to mention, he still hadn't recovered. There was the possibility that whatever Zod did to get his powers had affected Clark's powers too. Victor swallowed. If that was the case, Victor had every reason to be afraid.

Suddenly there was a lot of noise above him. Victor looked up and saw that the light from the open elevator door was gone. He started to track back in his mind, and wonder if he ever felt the weight of AC's body on the cable.

"AC?" he called into the darkness. "Are you in here?"

There was the hum of the building, Clark's heavy, laboured breaths... and silence. Victor switched his visual to night, and looked up the cable. There was nothing there. Nothing except the elevator above them.

"What's going on?" Clark asked. "Where is he?"

Victor swallowed nervously, as he felt his stomach churn sickly. "I don't know."

It just so happened that after ten minutes, they reached the bottom of the shaft. Waiting for AC to turn up took another ten minutes. Victor was sure that AC wouldn't be so stupid as to stay up there, in plain sight for all Kandorians to see... Then again... AC was also the same guy who got arrested at a "Save the Whale" protest... and went back to the same protest to get arrested again.

"Victor, I don't think he's coming down." Clark said hesitantly.

Victor's eyes narrowed and he hissed into the darkness "Come on, you fish faced bastard."

"Vic." Clark said. "We need to get outta here."

"I know you're not used to being part of a team Clark." Victor began, "So let me lay this out for you real clear. We. Are. Not. Going. Without. AC."

Clark nodded. "Victor, believe me, I don't want to leave him." He said. "But... we're sitting ducks here."

Underneath his anger, Victor felt himself relenting.

"We can't stay here any longer." Clark said. "We have to get back to Watchtower."

And finally he relented. Victor didn't know what else to do. Knowing that Clark was right, and waiting for AC would just mean to get picked off like prey, he knew that they had to go. "This doesn't feel right." Victor murmured.

"I know." Clark said. And looking over at his face, Victor could actually believe it. Victor could see on Clark's face a loss... Something that cut him to the bone, glazed his eyes over, and forced him to care. It seemed that he was feeling more than physical pain.

"So what's that look?" Victor asked.

And immediately it was gone. "What look?"

"Look, Clark," Victor began, "If you don't wanna talk about it, I understand. But don't shut yourself off, and pretend there's nothing wrong."

Clark watched Victor for a minute before turning toward the doors. "I think I can get these open-"

"Um..." Victor interjected. "Why don't we try this, my way?"

* * *

><p>Oliver had been searching for what felt like hours, and in his wake lay the unconscious bodies of nearly a dozen Kandorians. Apparently once they were out, they were safe. He crept along the corridor, wondering where on earth the others were.<p>

Suddenly there was a noise around the corner. Oliver immediately slipped into assault mode. Raising the kryptonite, he got ready to strike. Hugging the wall he inched closer and closer to his hidden adversary.

On a breath, he leapt around the corner, grabbing the opponent by the neck. Poised to strike, he was frozen. His eyebrows drew together in a frown, and his mouth dropped open

"Mercy?"

Tess, having recovered her wits, reached up and knocked the rock out of his hand, before pinning him to the ground with her knee.

He hit the floor with a grunt, as Tess' knee winded him "What the hell are you doing?" he asked incredulously.

"What does it look like?" she said on a breath. "You released those bloodsuckers?"

"I think I was one of those blood suckers-"

Before Oliver could finish his sentence, Tess drove her knee further into his gut, and Oliver let out a loud groan of pain.

"You were always the sadist-" he said, his voice strained with pain.

Tess looked altogether more disappointed than angry. "You were supposed to join us."

"Us?" Oliver asked. "What are you talking about Tess?"

Tess' eyes narrowed, and she said nothing.

"Are you working with them?" Oliver asked, his eyes widening in amazement. "Tess-"

"Finish him Tess." Oliver looked to the side, and saw Zod standing afar off, looking oh so menacing.

Tess raised a fist, as though adhering to his command. Oliver turned to face Tess and noticed her lips press together, and uncertainty cloud her eyes

Oliver raised a hand to cup her face. "You don't have to do this," he whispered. "What good will it do?"

Tess looked back at him, her eyes narrowed suddenly, as though her mind was made up. "I'm going to save this world Oliver. You would have seen that if you'd only joined me."

Oliver lowered his hand, "If this is what you have to do, go ahead." He said. "I won't stop you." He raised his hands over his head, as though proving a point. Seeing her fist lower slightly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his moment, and took it.

Quick as a flash, and with a cry of surprise, Tess was on her back, and Oliver had her pinned down, with her arms over her head.

Tess was still trying to figure out what happened, as Oliver grinned. "Stay..." he commanded, before jumping up, and grabbing that precious green rock, and dashing at Zod.

The closer her got, the lower Zod's body fell. When he reached him, Zod was on his knees, but still defiantly stared Oliver down.

"This... is for old ladies." Oliver said, before swinging the rock across Zod's face, and watching him slump to the ground.

"Oliver!" Oliver turned to see Victor appear out of nowhere and jump across the corridor, before collapsing in a heap against the wall.

It took a few seconds for Oliver to process what had happened, but one must assume that it was seeing the gun in Tess' hand that solidified his decision to move out of the way of speeding bullets. He slammed to the ground, just as a bullet caught him in the arm. The adrenaline racing through his body meant that he wouldn't feel it for a while. But damn, was it gonna hurt in a few minutes.

Oliver looked up again, when he stopped hearing bullets, and saw Clark wrestling the gun away from Tess. More importantly, Victor's body was shaking on the floor in front of him.

"Vic!" he cried, noticing that his eyes were slowly closing. "Vic, Come on man!"

_Blood, blood, _was all Oliver could think_. too much blood._

It seeped too fast into his costume, and moving it away, the blood spurted out and hit Oliver in the chest, spilling over his shirt, and onto the skin of his neck.

_No... _Oliver screamed "No! Dammit Vic!"

Desperately, he fumbled his hands around trying to stop the blood, but it hissed past his fingers, and Victor's body grew heavy.

"Come _on!_" Oliver yelled.

Clark managed to get the gun from Tess, and knock it across her face. She fell to the floor in a heap.

But it didn't matter. Victor's body was now lifeless, Oliver's hands fisted in Victor's costume, as though clinging on for him to stay alive.

He felt Clark's hand descend on his shoulder. "He's gone, Oliver."

"He..." Oliver began. "He saved my..."

"He's gone."

* * *

><p>AN: I feel so terrible now. I need to watch something funny... like Merlin. Although, that's also a bit sad now (stupid Lancelot)... Sigh. this is why I was putting it off, and putting it off and putting it off. ARGH!

So... who wants to cheer me up with a review?

Much Love

Darkeyes xxxx


	8. Chapter 8

****Disclaimer:** **_Smallville: Superman the Early Years_, and Superman, the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics.

**_A/N: _**_Hi... (#timidtweet). I'm going to stop promising to be more regular, because every time I promise I will, I end up taking forever to update. -_- #DoBetterSelf_

_So this chapter is another little filler one, but I feel that with everything that went down in the last one, a little reaction time was in need. _

_As always read, review and enjoy,_

_Shout outs to the reviewers for chapter 7 **ica013**, **GoChlollie****, zuntiz, Whatever-the-weather, Mark.**_ **sv**(_everytime i write your name FFn deletes it *haters*_),_**HellzonEarth, 0appletree0,**__and any anonymous reviewers who are enjoying the story, I really appreciate all of your support and I send blessings into all of your lives... I hope you #cupsrunnethover_

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xxxx_

_PS. Yes... I really did kill Victor. (How diabolical am I?)_

* * *

><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter Eight**

"_Every __tomorrow __has __two __handles. __We __can __take __hold __of __it __with __the __handle __of __anxiety __or __the __handle __of __faith._" **– ****Henry ****Ward ****Beecher**

As soon as Dinah had come in, Chloe had been working on auto-pilot. Seeing the bleeding body of Bart had almost floored her. But instinct had kicked in, and somehow, she'd managed to keep everyone calm, and get things moving, all the while not letting her mind drift to thinking about the young hero bleeding out on the floor above her. Emil was on the phone in seconds, and at Watchtower minutes later. And meanwhile she'd been putting her people skills to use, trying to distract the former hostages from the mini war-room they'd been dragged into.

"I couldn't think of anywhere else to take them." Dinah had said to explain why she'd brought civilians to Watchtower. "The red sky freaked me out, all I could think about was getting them somewhere safe."

Chloe couldn't really argue. Watchtower was the safest place in the city as far as she knew. But that didn't mean it wasn't vulnerable. The Kandorians weren't Clark. They could fly, and probably more. Even under her wing at Watchtower, Chloe couldn't ensure their safety. Not to mention, they kept getting in the way, milling about between the consoles, and standing doe-eyed and staring at the screens. Chloe was getting a little tired of telling people to sit in one place, and stay calm.

She decided to leave Dinah to sort out the civilians with food and water, and made her way up the stairs to see how Bart was doing. Watching Dinah and the others carrying him through was possibly the most sickening feeling of her life. It set her completely on edge. Especially as Dinah couldn't tell her anything about how any of the others were doing, which meant that Chloe's mind was constantly considering different ways that they could be dead right now. Forcing herself to think of something else she turned her mind on the people who she had here, and could help. It didn't stop her from constantly glancing at Watchtower's double-doors, and wondering how long it would take them to find their way home.

"How's he doing?" Chloe said, as she approached Emil. He stood over Bart's body, with a deeply focused expression, glancing occasionally, at the various monitors, Bart had been attached to.

He drew away and dabbed at his forehead with the back of his hand. "Better." He said, pulling on his rolled up sleeves. "Once he'd been given blood, his system seemed to get back into gear, and that metabolism of his started working over time."

He pushed his glasses further up his nose, and gestured to the area of Bart's abdomen that had been most severely burned. "This area has already begun to heal properly."

Chloe looked closer at the area, now that it had been cleaned; it was easier to see exactly what they had done. "They branded him." She said closing her eyes.

"Yes." Emil said. "I'm afraid it will scar. I'm sure Bart won't be very happy. I couldn't tell you what this symbol is but-"

"It's a Kryptonian symbol." Chloe said. "Like a signature."

Emil shuddered, and ran a hand over his face. "Disturbing as that is, it's not my main concern."

Emil lifted Bart's arms away from his chest. "From what I can tell there are several fractures to Bart's ribs, which could easily be damaging several of his internal organs. I can't be completely sure until I do an X-ray, but I don't want to move him to Metropolis General."

"If his ribs are broken, what can you do here?" Chloe asked.

Emil sighed. "That all depends on whether or not there is internal damage. So far, I wouldn't say so. But he'd need surgery, to realign the bones I'm afraid."

Chloe nodded. "And his body won't heal on its own?"

"I'm sure it will Chloe, but the only problem is the bones very well may heal in the wrong place." Emil said, with an apprehensive look on his face. "As I said, I can't be sure. I'll have to get Clark to X-ray him when he gets here."

Chloe bit her lip. At the mention of Clark, she was immediately reminded of everyone who wasn't there. Her eyes instinctively went to the door, as she wondered if they were alright. She caught Emil watching her and immediately turned her eyes back to Bart.

"It's alright to worry you know." He said to her. "After all, they aren't in the safest of places."

"Worrying doesn't help them Emil." Chloe said changing the subject. "Is there anything you need me to do here?"

"No." Emil said. "We should keep him sedated for a while, and I'm putting him on antibiotics, and just trying to keep him comfortable until he heals. We'll see how he manages on his own."

Before Emil could finish his sentence, the double doors banged open. Chloe and Emil craned their necks, to see Oliver and Clark walking in.

"Oh my God." Chloe said on a breath as she ran down the stairs to meet them. As she approached them she immediately noticed that Oliver was covered in blood. "What happened? Are you guys okay?"

Oliver said nothing and seemed to walk into Watchtower on auto-pilot. Clark glanced at him a little uneasily before turning to Chloe. "We're fine, for the most part."

Chloe couldn't seem to take her eyes away from the massive blood stains all over Oliver's dress shirt. "Oliver your shirt-"

Oliver looked down at what she was pointing at, and it seemed like he had forgotten it was there. "… It isn't mine." He said monotonously, bringing his hand to the stains.

"Where are the others?" Dinah asked as she approached them.

Clark glanced at Oliver again. Looking between them Chloe noticed a strange expression on both their faces. "What's going on?" she asked hesitantly

Dinah noticed it too. "Clark." She said, with a note of warning in her voice. "Where are Victor and AC?"

Clark looked away as he answered. "Victor… he's"

"He's dead." Oliver said from behind them.

"What?" Chloe said, in a breathless whisper. It seemed all the breath she had had been knocked out of her with those two words. All she could seem to think was 'This isn't true. This isn't true.' But all it took was the look on Clarks face to prove that it was indeed true. She felt her knees begin to give out on her, and searched behind her for something to balance on, finally leaning onto her desk for support.

"And AC?" Dinah asked, her voice sounded almost timid.

Clark looked at her with a look Chloe hadn't seen in months. The look on his face seemed to scream out pain, and sadness, and yet at the same time understanding and compassion, like he was trying to relate to Dinah. "Dinah… AC is… we lost him."

Dinah seemed to be frozen in place for a moment. "What do you mean?" she said finally. "Is he dead?"

Clark shrugged lamely. "I don't know." He said. "He wasn't the last time I saw him."

Chloe suddenly felt the need to get out of this situation. Like she needed to run and pretend like this wasn't happening. She stood up off the desk and began to walk away from Clark and Oliver, and toward the stained glass window. But as she approached it, she couldn't help but feel sick. Somehow, the memory of Jimmy, lying in his own blood on the floor flooded back into her mind, she felt tears begin to build up in her eyes. Closing them, she willed them back. Noise had become a muffled haze. She barely realised that she wasn't alone. But somewhere in the darkness, she heard Dinah's distressed voice, and as she opened her eyes, she saw she was surrounded by people. People who needed her.

"… How could you leave him in there?"

"Dinah we didn't have a choice-"

"He's a member of this team," Dinah cried "You should never have left him! All your abilities and you can't save your friends-"

"Dinah that's enough." Chloe cut in. Dinah turned to her with wrathful eyes, but was silenced at the serious look on Chloe's face. "Go and see if the hostages need anything."

She was about to argue, but Chloe cut her off with a look, and without another word she marched over to the hostages.

Chloe turned her attention to the newest additions to ground zero. She turned her eyes on Oliver, who had barely said two words since he'd arrived. His dress shirt was torn, and covered in blood, and there was blood on his skin and in his hair. She noticed blood on the sleeve of his shirt also, where it was torn, and realised he could actually be hurt. Clark, strangely, was in a similar state of disrepair. His Blur shirt had been torn, and as she looked over his face, Chloe noticed something which made her stomach turn. "Clark you're… You're bleeding."

Clark lifted his hand to his head, and sure enough, there was a trail of blood slowly making its way down the side of his face from his hairline. A little entranced, he couldn't stop staring at the blood.

"Why are you bleeding?" she asked him, afraid of the answer.

Clark said nothing, but his frown began to change into another expression, one that Chloe recognised but did not like. Chloe forced both of them to go up the stairs and sit down, so she could clean them up. She dealt with Clark first.

"Never really thought I'd have to do this..." She mumbled to herself as she took an alcohol wipe to his forehead. "This'll sting."

Clark didn't say anything for a while, and just glanced at her every now and again, and winced as the wipe brushed his forehead. "So how mad are you right now?" he asked tentatively.

Chloe said nothing, and focused on the cut on his head.

"I mean, I know you have every right to be." He continued. "You told me we weren't ready, but I wouldn't listen, and now…" He didn't finish, but instead turned his eyes downward.

Chloe couldn't help but feel her heart break at the sight of the dejection on his face. She almost smiled at the idea that despite all his vigorous training, and stoic expressions, he still cared. She wondered sometimes, but in her heart she knew that Clark could never stop caring for the world. It was in his nature.

She sighed "I'm not mad, Clark." She began as she threw the wipe away and reached for the butterfly stitches. "I'm sad, and I'm scared… I could really use my friend…" She didn't look him in the eye as she said this, but she could feel that he was watching her.

Finally once the stitches were in place, she turned to look into his face. "I could have used you a lot these past months." She whispered.

There was a familiar look in Clarks eye, one she hadn't seen since his guard went up, and he'd shut her out. A small smile pulled on the corners of his mouth, and disappeared as soon as it came. "I'm sorry Chloe." He said. "I should have been by your side through this… instead I held you at arms length. I just… You lost so much because of me, because of my secret."

Chloe nodded, but chose to say nothing. He needed to say this, to reconnect with his emotions so that he could come back to them.

"I don't want to hurt anyone else." He said finally.

Chloe smiled sadly. "I understand." She said. "You need to wash up, Also, get Emil to take a closer look at that when he gets a chance-"

"Chloe I-"

"We have things to do Clark." Chloe said cutting him off, "Let's not waste time with apologies."

Clark smiled as she moved away from him, and focused her attention on Oliver. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed his hunched form, and his unfocused eyes. "Uh-oh." She began lightly. "I know that look."

Oliver said nothing, but his eyes snapped over to look at her, before turning away again.

"How much are you beating yourself up right now?" she asked.

Oliver remained silent as she checked him over, she tore off the ripped sleeve of his dress shirt, and noticed a bullet wound. The bullet had torn against the edge of his flesh, leaving a long, red, angry scar across his bicep. She sucked in her breath through her teeth, as she pulled out an alcohol wipe. "Geez Ollie… This was supposed to be your rescue mission-"

"Don't remind me." He finally said, still not looking at her. His voice was monotonous.

Chloe sighed. "This is gonna sting." She said in warning, taking his hand in hers for comfort.

Oliver winced and hissed as the wipe brushed his open flesh, his hand squeezed hers nearly painfully at first, but as the grip eased as he got used to the wipe.

"Why is it always the heroes who blame themselves for everything that goes wrong in the world?" Chloe began holding his hand a little more firmly. "_I__'__m_ not blaming you, so I don't know why you're blaming yourself."

Oliver said nothing for a while, but the expression on his face contorted, the frown deepening, as he slipped his hand out of hers. "I'm not a hero." He said so quietly, she wasn't sure she'd even heard him.

"That's interesting." She said with a little smile. "Because I could have sworn that you saved an old lady last night."

Oliver turned to face her with a questioning frown.

"Amanda told me." She said still smiling. "_She_ thinks you're a hero. And you weren't even in green-"

"Stop it Chloe." He said hoarsely. A little surprised, Chloe's eyes widened at him, and she noticed that he was no longer looking at her, but instead was enthralled with a spot on the floor. "Please, just stop it."

Chloe said nothing, but watched him carefully in the red light. The red morning light hit the side of his face, and made the hollows of his cheeks and neck darken dramatically. He turned his face into the light, and said. "He saved me you know."

Chloe didn't want to ask who, but she felt like she already knew.

"He took the bullet for me." Oliver said. "… He saved my life."

Chloe couldn't think of anything to say, so she said nothing, and instead reached for the bandages.

"How many more people are going to die, because of my mistakes?" He asked, it seemed, to himself. It felt that he'd forgotten Chloe was there.

"You can't save everyone Ollie." Chloe said quietly, as she wrapped the gauze around Oliver's arm. "You didn't cause it, and you couldn't prevent it… But that doesn't mean that you're to blame."

Oliver turned to look at her, and Chloe felt her chest tighten at the emotion in his eyes. She hadn't cried in a long time, but she could have cried at that look. In the dark pools of his eyes he seemed to be lost in his own despair and misery. She felt like she could feel him reaching out from that darkness, calling for her to help him, pleading with her to pull him out… She had to look away.

_God__help__me,_she thought as she sent him into the bathroom to wash the blood off his skin. One of the problems of working with heroes; is the constant need they have to be saved.

* * *

><p>The rusty light poured into the little bathroom, through a small peephole of stained glass, and fell over Oliver's hunched form as he scrubbed at the bloodied shirt. The warm water in the sink became more and more scarlet, with every move of Oliver's wrists and hands. Entranced by it, Oliver couldn't help but feel that the blood was seeping into his own skin. The blood of his friends, comrades, people who'd relied on him, giving their own lives to save his…<p>

… And for what?

He twisted the shirt more in the red water and squeezed more blood out. Why would they give up their lives for him? Despite Chloe's persistence that she needed his help, Oliver knew that he had nothing to give her, no help for her. He wasn't the hero he'd pretended to be, he was just another spoilt rich boy, who had more money than sense. Another spoilt rich boy, playing Robin Hood in Suicide Slums. Another spoilt rich boy… who didn't understand the consequences to his actions…

Human that he was Oliver made mistakes. But mistaking the Princess of Monaco for the Princess of England was one thing, that was an Oliver Queen mistake, slightly embarrassing, but laughable. Green Arrow mistakes took lives… took Lois'… Jimmy's… Victor's…

Suddenly his thoughts were flooded with Victor's relenting face, as the blood gushed out of his body at unstoppable force.

Oliver slammed his hands down on the edge of the sink, and gripped it tightly, as he felt his eyes begin to water. His head dropped, his chin coming to his chest, as his whole body began to shake. _Why__the__hell__did__you__do__it__…_ he thought. _I__wasn__'__t__worth__it__…_

Slowly he raised his eyes up to look at himself in the mirror. Looking for some kind of hope… that perhaps, he would see someone different looking back. But nothing had changed… He'd played hero for an hour or so, but nothing had changed… he wasn't anymore a hero, than he was yesterday, or the day before…

_Perhaps__…_ he thought, looking through the stained glass peep hole. _There__isn__'__t__any__hope__after__all._

He opened the medicine cabinet, and took a look around.

* * *

><p>Having been distracted by the countless other people who needed her, Chloe hadn't thought about Oliver for quite a while. She'd given the civilians the task of watching the news for updates, in case the Kandorians made a move. Emil had discovered that Clark had indeed lost all of his powers, which had put a damper on Bart's X-ray. It seemed a lot more sensible to have bought that X-ray machine now.<p>

It was only when she heard a thud from within the bathroom that she thought to check on Oliver. Leaving Dinah, Emil and Clark to come up with a solution to Bart's healthcare, she walked up to the bathroom door, tapping on it gently at first.

"Oliver?" she called "Are you okay in there?"

There was no response, for a moment she thought he might be sulking. But then she remembered that look of pure dejection on his face, and realised, he didn't have a good sulk in him.

"I know we have a bathroom policy here," she said lightly. "But if you don't answer me, I'm gonna have to come in."

There was still no reply; she now began to get worried. There was no lock to her bathroom door (why would there be when she lived there alone?) so, uneasily, she stepped into the bathroom.

"Oliver" she called as she poked her head around the door. "Are you alright?"

In the dim red light, she saw a shape sprawled on the cold tiled floor, and she felt her stomach drop into her shoes.

"OLIVER!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_ _LO IS THE CHAPTER READ. loool I hope you all enjoyed it. Please review, and let me know what you think. _

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xxxxxx_


	9. Chapter 9

****Disclaimer:** **_Smallville: Superman the Early Years_, and Superman, the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics.

**_A/N:_**_I haven't got much time right now, but I thought I'd put this up anyways, so I'll skip to the thank yous. _

_Blessings from heaven go to the reviewers of Chapter Eight, Namely; _**Mark. sv,****_ 0appletree0_, _GoChlollie, ica013, jrussell55265,_** _and finally, **Hellz-on-Earth. **I can't thank you all enough for all your support for this fic,_

_Right, Enjoy the Chapter_

_Much Love, _

_Darkeyes xxxxx_

_PS. Many of you have probably realised that I am British. I have no idea how the President of America would address the public. But for the sake of this story, lets say I got it right, :D_

* * *

><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter Nine**

"_The way to win an atomic war is to make certain it never starts."-**Omar N Bradley**_

Oliver felt the headache before he'd opened his eyes. His body seemed to ache from the inside out. His stomach felt raw, and sick, and there was a rotten taste in his mouth. There was a burning feeling down his throat; he got the feeling that he'd been throwing up, and wondered if he'd gotten drunk and passed out, again. Eyes barely open, he reached instinctively for his phone, only to come up empty. When he didn't find it, he began to wonder exactly what was going on. He squinted his eyes open into the red sunlight, and peeked around the room. From what he could tell, the bed he was in was Chloe's.

_How did I get in Chloe's bed, _he thought, opening his eyes a little further, and lifting up his head. It occurred to him for only a moment that he and Chloe may have… But no, even if was actually drunk enough to do it, Chloe would never consider it.

It was then that he noticed that Chloe sitting in a chair to the side of him, and felt his brow contort in confusion. She was engrossed with a spot on the floor, staring at it, with her fore arms resting on her knees, and her whole body leaning forwards heavily. If he hadn't seen her eyelids blink, he would have thought she was asleep. He tried calling out to her, but his voice came out as little more than a croak.

Chloe raised her head, eyes coming to meet his. There was a flash of relief on her face, before it disappeared. "Don't try to talk." She said, before reaching down, and grabbing a bottle of water, it seemed from nowhere.

She held the bottle to his lips, and ordered him to take a large sip. The liquid soothed his raw throat, and seemed to wash away most of the rotten taste in his mouth. "What happened?" he asked, still a little hoarse.

Chloe ignored him, and placed the bottle on the bed-side table, "How're you feeling?" she said, absently.

"Like shit." He said grumbling, bringing a hand to rub his forehead. "What happened?" he asked again.

"What you don't remember?" Chloe said, her voice laced with suppressed anger.

Oliver glanced over at her, confused at the anger on her face.

"Well ten sleeping pills will do that to you." She said deadpanned.

Oliver's eyes widened, before the memories hit him. He remembered finding the bottle in the medicine cabinet. He remembered reading that the prescription was for Chloe Anne Sullivan… and he remembered downing the whole bottle as fast as he could. Suddenly, he felt a mix of emotions, relief that he was alive, anxiety because he was alive (and if Chloe was anything like Lois, he was not walking away from this), and strangely, guilt… though he had no idea why.

He risked a glance over at Chloe to gauge just how much trouble he was in, but couldn't read the expression on her face. "Listen, Chloe-" he began.

"I'd better get Emil." She cut him off, and walked out of the room.

Oliver sighed, as he watched her leave. It didn't look like she wanted to hear his explanation.

Chloe waited by the door, while Emil checked Oliver over. Oliver would glance over at her occasionally, but she openly watched him, her face void of emotion, but Oliver could still tell she was furious. It made him squirm under her scrutiny.

Eventually, Emil was done and gave Oliver an encouraging smile. "There were no lasting effects from the pills, Oliver." He said, packing away his things, "With some rest, you'll be fine."

"Thank you Emil." Oliver said.

"I wouldn't thank me," Emil said. "If it wasn't for Chloe, I'm fairly certain you would be long gone."

Oliver looked up at her, she held his gaze for a moment, before finding that spot on the floor again.

Noticing the thickening tension in the room, Emil excused himself, telling Oliver that he needed to get some rest, and to drink plenty of fluids. He made a swift exit, and left Oliver alone with Chloe.

Oliver knew he needed to explain himself. But it was hard to go over his thought process at that moment without seeming like a complete idiot. "Chloe… um" he began. "Thank you."

"For what." She said humourlessly as she moved back to her chair, "from where I stood it looked like you _wanted_ to be dead."

He swallowed nervously at that, recoiling under her gaze. Talking his way out of trouble had never been a problem for Oliver, and yet when her green eyes blazed with quiet rage, he couldn't seem to find words.

"Yeah, I-uh… I guess I did." He stammered

Chloe said nothing, quite content to watch him squirm. Silence fell over them, and Oliver tried to think of something to lighten the mood.

"So, how did you do it?" he asked with a nervous smile. "How'd you save me? You get me a stomach pump? Or a-uh…"

"I stuck my fingers down your throat." She said coldly, interrupting him.

His eyebrows rose at that, a little taken aback. Looking at her, he could see her expression didn't change, it was slightly unsettling. "Oh… well-uh… Thank you."

"Don't thank me." She said. "I was trying to see if I could pull your balls out through your oesophagus."

Oliver swallowed; his eyes wide as tennis balls.

"How could you have been such a coward?" Chloe asked quietly, her eyes narrowing, the first real expression she'd shown in what felt like hours.

Oliver couldn't look at her; he turned his face away from her. He didn't want to feel guilty about this.

"You wouldn't understand-"

"Try me." Chloe said. "I'd think pulling you back from the brink of death buys me at least one explanation"

"It should have been me." he said quietly.

Chloe almost rolled her eyes, "Victor's death wasn't your fault Ollie-"

"It's not that." He said, cutting her off. "I know I said the world doesn't need us to be heroes, Chloe. But… I was wrong. Victor was a hero… And I'm not."

Chloe's eyes widened when she realised what he was saying.

"Victor should have let me die." He said finally. "There is no more Green Arrow; there is no more Justice League… I've got nothing left to give you so I-" He faltered.

"You thought you'd get yourself out of the way…" Chloe finished for him.

Oliver clenched his fists subconsciously. "Everything I touch withers and dies, Chloe" he said. "So… I thought if I was gone, you'd have … some kind of chance."

Oliver was fixated by the threads of Chloe's sheets, fiddling with the cotton. He didn't turn to look at her, but he could practically feel her anger boiling and boiling. Daring to turn his head barely and inch, he noticed flashes of confusion in her green eyes. He dropped his gaze back to the sheets.

"Look at me, Oliver." She said suddenly.

He didn't dare to, and kept his head bent over the sheets.

"Oliver Jonas Queen." Chloe said slowly and almost gently. "I want you to hear what I am going to say to you very clearly right now… So I need you to look at me."

Slowly, Oliver lifted his head, and turned to face her. But before he could even focus on her face, her hand slapped across his, snapping his head to the side. He turned back to her, mouth agape, completely shocked, holding a hand to his stinging cheek. "Chloe-"

"How could you have been so stupid?" she hissed.

"Wh-What?"

"Did you really think that we would have been better off without you?" she nearly yelled "Scratch that- did you _think_, Oliver? Huh? Did you think at all?"

Oliver just gaped at her.

"Of course we need you! The only reason any of the others came back is to _save_ you. Did you think that was a coincidence?"

Oliver honestly didn't think about it at all.

Careful not to raise her voice too loud as to disturb the others, Chloe continued. "There are people who need you Oliver, people who care whether you live or die. I don't care if you don't think your life is worth anything Oliver, because Victor was willing to bet his life that there was a hero in you." She paused, lowering her voice further. "Victor believed in _you, _and so do I."

Looking at her face, he suddenly realised why he was feeling guilty. He'd hurt her. There were glassy traces of tears welling up in her green eyes, but she wouldn't dare let them fall.

"So this pity party is over." She said with finality. "We haven't got time anymore."

She sat back in her chair, and tore her eyes from Oliver, blinking to keep back the tears. For a while, Oliver could do little more than rub his stinging cheek, and stare at Chloe in wonder. Eventually he found words. "Chloe-" he began, but she didn't want to hear it. She rose and left the room. As she passed through the doorway, Oliver noticed her bring a hand to her cheek, wiping tears away.

* * *

><p>Chloe blindly wandered into the first room she'd seen and shut the door fast. It strangely enough happened to be the bathroom. In the dim red light, the bloodstains on Oliver's discarded shirt, and the spatters of blood and water on the sink stuck out. For some reason, the sight of blood made something break inside her. Everything seemed to flood over her, her anxiety over AC, her confusion over the red sky and what it could mean. She fell against the door limply. Victor's death hit her at the knees, and she let all her emotions fall on her as she slid down the door, and curled up on the floor. And Oliver… as everything piled onto her she began to sob, holding a hand to her mouth to muffle them.<p>

How could he have ever thought that she didn't need him? So much had begun with this tower going live, and Chloe had no idea how to handle it. Aliens taking over, and Tess Mercer, and civilians in Watchtower, all of it was too much. It burst out of her in hot angry tears, cold scared tears, warm sad tears, any kind of tear that was ever thought of, Chloe cried. Everything she had kept so well hidden caught up with her in that bathroom. And she cried for all of it.

Chloe shut her eyes, as tears streamed down her cheeks and over her hands, she sobbed harder. _Why am I crying? _she asked herself silently. _I don't want to cry. Why am I crying?_

_It's gonna be alright, Bright-eyes…_

Chloe sobbed again. "Jimmy." She whispered through her tears, helplessness making her bones feel heavy. "Oh Jimmy what am I gonna do?"

"Chloe?" Chloe jumped as she heard the voice from behind the door, suddenly realising that she was talking to the air again. After a few deep breaths, she stood up quickly and moved to the mirror.

"Chloe are you in there?" Dinah's voice came through the door.

Chloe quickly wiped the tears off her cheeks "Just fine." She called out, cleaning up her smeared make-up.

"Okay… well I-uh"

"Dinah what is it?" Chloe asked.

After a pause Chloe heard Dinah's voice again. "Can I talk to you out here?"

Chloe took a deep breath to calm herself down and opened the door.

As Chloe opened the door, Dinah looked ready to say something, but her expression seemed to change, as her eyes fell on Chloe. Chloe could blatantly see her concern all over her face, as she looked at her damp cheeks and red eyes.

"Are you okay?" she said, worriedly. "We didn't really get a chance to talk after-"

"I'm fine, Dinah." Chloe said cutting her off.

"Are you sure, I thought I hear you talking to someone-"

"Who would I be talking to, Dinah?"

Dinah opened her mouth as though to say something, but closed it immediately apparently having thought the better of it. "You know…" she said a moment later, "It's okay to feel sad."

"What?"

"A friend is dead. It's alright if you feel sad." Dinah said. She reached for Chloe's arm. "If you need to talk-"

Chloe ducked away from the contact. "I'm fine Dinah, seriously." She said, putting the matter to rest. "What did you want to talk about?"

Dinah looked at Chloe strangely for a moment, before beginning "Okay…" she said. "I was thinking about the meteor rocks."

"What about it?"

"I was wondering if you knew where we could get more."

Chloe raised an eyebrow "Why?" she asked.

Dinah let a little anxious smile crease her face "Well, right now, it's our only real defence against the Kandorians. It would probably be a good idea for us to stockpile as much as we can; if we want to stand a chance of defending ourselves that is."

Chloe nodded, but thought for a moment. "True, but maybe there's a better way to use it rather than just hitting them with rocks."

This time, Dinah raised an eyebrow, and followed Chloe down the stairs toward her desk.

"When we were in High School, one of our classmates went psycho, and started assassinating anybody who was possibly meteor-infected." Chloe began as she dodged the civilians who seemed to be watching the news. Frowning at that for a moment, she continued on to her desk, "He came after Clark with a kryptonite bullet."

"A Kryptonite Bullet?" Dinah asked.

"if we could weaponise kryptonite on an industrial scale; bullets, arrows, knives, grenades-"

"Grenades? Really?"

"Don't judge me." Chloe said, "Dinah you wouldn't happen to-"

Dinah pursed her lips in thought, "I actually do know a guy. But he's a bit of a jerk. Not to mention, he's gonna need a whole lotta kryptonite. Where are we gonna get enough?"

"Funny you should ask" Chloe's fingers hit the keys and one of the screens revealed a map. "I've been watching our favourite red-head, and she's been doing some weird things recently- Though mind you, a number of things have begun to make sense. Tess has been recently gathering meteor rock from Smallville, and storing it at this old military warehouse, called Libertine Ridge. At first I thought that she was trying hurt Clark. I was getting ready to shut the place down, but then all this happened."

"So, what was she doing?" Dinah asked

"Probably trying to clear the Kryptonite minefield that is Smallville." Chloe said. "She was most likely planning on destroying it all somehow."

Chloe's fingers flew over the keys, and she came up with the inventory list for the warehouse. "Will that be enough for your man?" she asked Dinah, looking up at her.

Dinah nodded "I'll make the call." And began to walk away.

"Wait, Dinah?" Chloe called, catching up with her. "Um… who put the kids in front of the TV?" she gestured over to the sofa's where the newly freed hostages, had gotten comfortable watching the 24hr news. Some had even found popcorn. It looked like microwave popcorn. Chloe frowned. She didn't even know she had microwave popcorn.

Dinah shrugged "It seemed like a good way to occupy them." She said. "I figured showing them that we have basic cable, would prove we weren't some kind of terrorist cell."

Chloe sighed, and let Dinah go make her call, returning to her desk. she was left to consider the previous hostages that Dinah had brought back with her. There was Grayson, a Texan, and apparently the heir to an oil company. He had a barely recognisable accent, and seemed to always be annoyed about something. His girlfriend was Amanda, a model, who was very easy to talk to. Not like Magalli, and Lillian, the two French Fashion designers, who either could speak English, and chose not to, or only spoke French. Either way, Chloe wasn't in the mood to recall her French classes, and so chose to get to know the English speaking people. Mary Goldman was the wife of a Naval officer, a Captain or something. Then there was Barry, from New York, the bartender. And Dr Horace Abbott, who Chloe had to lend a shirt to… his had been covered in someone's blood.

Altogether they were quite the mismatched group, and very amusing to watch, as Mrs Goldman would yell at the Magali and Lillian, while they spoke about her in French (Chloe heard the word for "cow" loud and clear). Barry seemed to be quite engrossed in the news, while Dr Abbott was in his own little world. And Amanda and Grayson, were whispering to each other as couples do. Except it seemed more Amanda whispering to Grayson, and keeping him calm. She seemed quite devoted to the man. Chloe couldn't imagine why. He seemed to her completely abrasive.

All the same, Chloe couldn't help but think that each of those people had a story; a life. They didn't choose this like Chloe and the others had. They were thrust into a terrible situation. And yet Chloe couldn't think of any way for them to get back to that life now. As far as she knew, Zod had plans for world domination… which meant nowhere was safe; not even Watchtower.

Her eyes drifted to the screen which had been frozen on the tower, as she wondered what Zod was doing now. The waiting game had succeeded in setting her on edge, and she was ready to find out what Major Zod had in store for earth.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Clark's hand on her shoulder. "Chloe?" he said.

She jumped a little. "Clark!" She said. "It's almost as bad as the superspeed."

"Sorry." He said. "How's Oliver?"

Chloe's thoughts immediately returned to the defeated billionaire who had taken over her bed. She groaned, and ran a hand over her face.

"That bad, huh?"

"No." Chloe sighed. "He's recovering nicely, just needs some rest and fluids etc."

Clark frowned. "So what's wrong?"

"Just… Oliver." Chloe said

Clark made a face. "I'm not sure I'm following you…"

"Look, Oliver is fine." Chloe said standing and turning to face Clark, "Physically at least. But… Psychologically… He's got some issues to sort out." She looked Clark over, "What about you?" she asked "How're you doing without your powers?"

Clark looked down.

"That bad, huh?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's just… weird." He said. "I can remember, when we were in high school, I just wanted to be normal… Now I am, I don't feel normal… I just feel weak."

"You're not weak Clark." Chloe said. "You're human-"

"But I'm not human." Clark interrupted. "Jo-rel's training has taught me that, powers or no powers, I'm still not human. I'm reaching for things, and can't grip them, because I keep thinking that I'll hold it too tight and crush it. I'm subconsciously controlling my breathing because I keep thinking I'll blow a wall down. Even walking over here, I had to remind myself that I won't put a trail of shoe shaped holes in the floor."

Chloe's face contorted between serious and amused. "I don't know whether to crack out my violin, or burst out laughing Clark."

"It's not funny Chloe."

"It's a little funny."

Clark ignored this and continued. "I have to get my powers back, for my own sanity."

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" Chloe said, still amused

Clark glanced at her. "Maybe Jo-rel can do something…"

"I don't think Jo-rel works like that, Clark."

"Well he did it before-"

"That was different, no one had turned the sun red. I hate to say this, but I think you're stuck."

"I can't be stuck"

"Why not, what's wrong with being-"

"Because _I _need to stop this!" Clark cried finally. Chloe's mouth dropped open, and almost everyone in the room turned to Clark.

Clark realised the attention he was drawing and lowered his voice. "This is my fault Chloe. I have to find a way to fix it."

Chloe put a hand on Clark's shoulder. "Clark, we'll fix this whole mess. We'll stop Zod, and put the world back to normal. Together. It doesn't matter whose fault this is. We're in this together… Right?"

Before Clark could answer, someone from the sofa let out a loud yelp, catching everyone's attention. "Ms Sullivan! Ms Lance!" Barry called out. "Come quick."

Clark and Chloe headed over to the TV as fast as they could, and looked at the screen. Dinah and Emil joined them just as Dr Abbott was turning the volume up.

"… _I, President of these United States, address you, its people, with a matter of extreme urgency, and gravity. This matter may seem nonsense to you, but I swear to you and to God, that it is true._

"_This morning, I received a message from a General Zod of Kandor, of the Planet Krypton, that he is claiming governing rights over this country, and over the rest of the world. His message also stated that he had sent this same emissary to the other world leaders, including our allies, and that we had twenty-four hours to respond, or else be at war with Kandor._

"_It is with this knowledge that I have made my decision on this matter. We will not be intimidated by this General. We will not have our freedom forced from us, by thugs. My fellow Americans I ask that you are brave and vigilant in the face of these aliens. As the good book says, "Be not afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flieth by day." _

"_Having consulted with the Secretary of Defence, and the Secretary of State, and with several generals and others; it is our firm decision that we declare war on these intruders. And having consulted with our friends in London, we understand that our allies our behind us._

"_To the citizens of Metropolis, Kansas, and those in the immediate surrounding area, we will be evacuating the area from 1200hrs to 2300hrs tonight. We firmly suggest that you leave with the appropriate authorities. _

"_I pray that God blesses you, and keeps you__ all._"

As the message ended and the voices of the news presenters came back over the air, everyone seemed to be looking at each other for answers, no one quite able to find words just yet.

Eventually Chloe managed to whisper. "They're gonna nuke Metropolis…"

Which only served to prolong the silence, until it was broken by a voice everyone had missed.

Bart had leaned up on his gurney, squinting into the red light, and over the rail at the crowd of people watching the TV. "…What the hell is going on?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__So i hope I haven't insulted any presidents present or future! :D Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!_

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xxxxxxx_


	10. Chapter 10

****Disclaimer:** **_Smallville: Superman the Early Years_, and Superman, the comic and all their relevant characters, places and items, are the direct property of Warner Brothers Inc, The CW and DC comics.

**_A/N:_**_Good Morning all, and yes, it is morning for me, because for some reason my muse hit me just as I was about to go to bed, and decided to keep me up all night by prodding me. I've been struggling to finish this chapter, as its very much a filler one again, but kind of necessary for plot development. Before i continue to ramble on about nothings, I would like to apologise once more for taking a lifetime to update this story, I hope you are all still with me :D_

_As per usual love, and blessings, and cattle, and goats, and anything else i can think of go to the reviewers for the last chapter; **Mark[dot]sv, Hellzz-On-Earth, GoChlollie, 0appletree0,**_ _and **ica013. ** Thank you all so much for your reviews, I read all of them while bouncing up and down in my seat, because I'm a bit of a loser like that #DontJudgeMe..._

_Anyway, Here lies the story, _

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xxxxx_

* * *

><p><strong>Nostrum Terra<strong>

**Chapter Ten**

_The very exercise of leadership fosters capacity for it. –__** Cyril Falls**_

"So If I'm understanding you right," Bart began, now currently leaning against several cushions from a very comfortable spot on Chloe's couch, as Dinah relayed the past few hours to him, "Victor's dead; AC is probably dead-or worse, Oliver tried to… be dead…"

Dinah made a face at his last comment, but nodded, and said nothing.

"And Chloe is currently chewing out some military underling, because she thinks that the military are going to nuke Metropolis."

Dinah smiled, despite the situation. "You know Bart, for someone who's been unconscious for nearly a day, you're surprisingly sharp."

"Well…" Bart said with mock-humility. "What can I say?"

"Here you go, Bart." Amanda said, handing Bart a bag of chips. "It was the quickest thing I could find. I know you probably want something warm inside you but-"

"Oh this is perfect!" Bart said with a grin tearing into the chips. "You're perfect!"

Amanda blushed, ignoring Friar's narrowing eyes.

Dinah smiled again. There was something about Bart that made everything seem lighter. It was like subconsciously he could tell Watchtower had been swimming in a cloud of angst, and it needed a little foolishness to make things seem brighter. While Dinah couldn't quite forget about AC, and Vic, thanks to Bart, she could see past it.

"So…" Bart said through a mouthful of chips. "What I don't understand is why Chloe doesn't want to nuke the aliens."

Dinah rolled her eyes. "Because they are literally indestructible." She said simply. "It's more likely that the bombs will kill _us_, and leave the Kandorians with our planet, free from us meddling humans."

Suddenly everyone was distracted by the sound of Chloe broaching on violence. "Listen! If you don't stop messing me around with this clerical bullshit and put me on the phone with your commanding officer, I swear I will come down there and push a nuke down _your_ throat! … Don't you _DARE_ tell me to _CALM DOWN_!" she hollered into the phone.

Looking up, she noticed that there were a lot of eyes on her. "What?" she snapped. And suddenly everyone found something else to distract themselves with.

Bart let out a low whistle. "It's starting to get to her isn't it?"

Dinah raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

* * *

><p>Moments later, Chloe was hanging up the phone and tossing it on her desk in frustration, before falling into her seat, and burying her face in her hands. Clark watched her from across the desk with a worried look on his face, but knew better than to say anything.<p>

"I can't get through to the General…" she mumbled after a while. "And everyone else is giving me the run around… Dammit! Why doesn't anyone listen to me when the world's ending?"

Clark bit back a smile. "Try to relax Chloe. Isn't there anything you can do from Watchtower to stop the missiles firing?"

"I don't know Clark." She said honestly. "Nuclear Missile launches aren't exactly designed to allow anyone to manipulate them… It may be a little out of my league."

Honestly, she was beginning to feel a little hopeless. Things seemed to be spiralling out of her control, and she couldn't help but wonder how she didn't see this coming. Maybe if she had been more diligent in watching Tess instead of looking for Lois or Oliver or… but no… Even if she had, Chloe was smart enough to know that Tess wasn't exactly going to let Chloe in on all her dirty little secrets. Perhaps she should just say her prayers and hope that there was a heaven to go to.

She glanced at Clark, and saw a very pensive look on his face; the secretive kind that he used to put on before she found out about his secret. "Hey?" she said, getting his attention. "What're you thinking?"

The look immediately disappeared. "I was thinking about our friends." He said gesturing toward the civilians. Chloe could tell he was lying, but allowed him to keep his thoughts to himself… for now at least. "They're not safe here."

Chloe nodded in agreement. Of course they couldn't force them to leave, but Chloe had to admit that she would feel safer if they'd evacuate with the others.

"I could escort them to the evacuation sites?" Clark said with a shrug. When Chloe frowned at him, he replied with a simple "I wanna to feel useful."

Chloe smiled, "I get it." She said.

* * *

><p>Friar stared at Chloe with a frown on his face. "… You expect us to just walk away from all this?"<p>

Chloe sighed, she thought that Friar would find some way to contend with her. Mainly because he seemed to disagree with everything. "We can't ensure your safety if you were to stay. Watchtower can't protect you from the Kandorians for long. You're best bet is to leave the city, and allow us to try and contain them as long as we can."

"Contain them?" Magali piped up, incredulously (apparently she could speak english) "How can you and your freak friends contain these people?"

Clark immediately put a hand on Dinah's shoulder to hold her back.

"There is no containing these… things…" Magali continued.

"Well what do you suggest we do?" Dr Abbott said "Sit back, and wait for them to kill everyone?"

Lillian said something to Magali in French, and she seemed to agree with her before saying to the rest of the group. "My sister and I are not a part of this. We don't expect you to understand. You American's always think that you have to save the world… You are too late."

She then sat back in her seat and refused to speak any further. The others seemed to be a little more conflicted.

"Look," Chloe said in reassurance. "This is your decision. While I encourage you to leave while you can, there's no pressure to go, or to stay."

"But you're gonna stay?" Amanda asked, looking up at Chloe from her seat on the floor. "You're gonna fight?"

"You're damn right."

Everyone turned at the voice. Oliver was standing behind them, appearing refreshed. Clean, changed, and with a determined scowl on his face.

Completely shell shocked, Chloe could do little more than gape. She tried to say something, but all that escaped her was a weak and surprised "Oliver…"

"We're gonna fight, because we have to." He said.

Chloe stared at him in astonishment. While she had hoped that he would turn himself around, she hadn't expected it to happen in the space of a few hours. It warmed her heart a little to see him wearing that leader's expression, the posture he wore so well, as leader of the JLA. It gave her a new found confidence in their cause, in what she was asking of her friends. She smiled a small smile to her self and looked away from him, finally feeling that the straws she had been clutching at were coming together.

"Well, I'm not gonna say no to a fight-"

"Mr Friar-" Chloe began

"Now, Ms Chloe." He interrupted. "I know you're gonna tell me something about how worried you are and all. But please. If I can't fight for my country, and for my world, what can I fight for?"

Amanda piped up too. "I'm in too." She said, raising a hand at Friar's protests. "I won't argue with you, so don't _you_ argue with me." She seemed to sense Chloe's agitation with this situation, and reached out to touch Chloe's hand. "Please Chloe. Let us help."

Mrs Goldman and Dr Abbott exchanged glances, before coming to the conclusion that they wouldn't be any help.

"As much as I want to make that man squirm," Mrs Goldman said, "I fear all I'd do is get in the way."

Dr Abbott agreed, saying that he thinks he's seen too much of what the Kandorians can do. "I don't think I have the stomach for any more." He said. "I was an optician…"

Chloe cut Bart a look before the smirk on his face grew into anything more, and he swallowed his giggles. Clark agreed to escort them to the evacuation sites, armed with meteor rock, and soon he left with the others. Only Friar, Amanda, and Barry the bartender remained.

Barry explained his reasons for not leaving a lot later, when it was just him and Chloe.

"I've never really done anything worth remembering." He'd said hours later. "I dropped out of college, and got jobs here and there. I was only working the bar that night by chance you know… But I feel like this-all this- it's fate. I've always wanted something to tell my grandkids one day… Maybe I can tell them how I helped save the world."

It was a pleasant notion, saving the world. But Chloe began to wonder if it was possible this time. After so many times saving the world, you'd think she'd be desensitised to the idea. But this time was different; there was no Clark with all his amazing powers, no random idea that would spring into her head… and there were so many Kandorians.

Her eyes suddenly fell on Oliver who had struck up conversation with Dinah on the other side of watchtower, and she smiled. But perhaps… she thought… Perhaps there was a little hope.

She walked over to him as Dinah walked away. "Hey." She said lamely "Thanks… For you know… what you did back there."

He smiled understanding.

"It felt like you were really back you know." She continued. "Back leading the team, like old days."

His smile faded, and he looked at the ground. "Look Chloe-"

"I guess I'm… I'm really proud of you, Oliver." She said. "I feel like I can hand you back the reigns." She finished with a grin, which Oliver didn't return.

He didn't meet her eyes for a while, and Chloe began to feel that restlessness again. "Chloe… " he began "I want you to know, I am here. You were right, I was being a coward, and… Look I'm by your side, 100%. But you should know, I'm not ready to take back the reigns yet."

Chloe frowned, "What do you mean?"

He sighed, looking for a way to approach this. "I meant what I said earlier." He said finally. "I'm not a hero anymore, I'm not Green Arrow, and I can't lead the team anymore… I've screwed up too many times and… I don't trust myself with it. So if you're looking for a soldier; that I can do, I can stick this out, and fight, but I can't be the leader you need."

Chloe felt her shoulders fall at his statement. "Well then…" she began tiredly, "What am I meant to do, Oliver? Who's gonna be the leader we need?"

Oliver said nothing, but there was a trace of a smile on his face as he looked pointedly at her.

Chloe's eyes widened as she began to understand. "Wait… Me?" She said "You want me to do it?"

"Who better?" he said. "Chloe, you've worked tirelessly to bring us back together, you've held it together when everyone else was falling apart… and let's face it you were always the boss."

Chloe didn't know what to say, and so gaped at him, stupidly, for a few minutes.

"Maybe… someday I'll be ready to pull on my leathers again, Chloe." Oliver said with a shrug "But until then, the team needs you."

Chloe swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling a whole lot heavier. "Do you realise what you've just put on my shoulders, Ollie?" she said. "What if I can't do it either?"

Oliver smiled a little at the nickname, "I think you're capable of a lot more than you realise, Sidekick." He said. "What do you say?"

Chloe sighed. There was so much confidence looking back at her in Oliver's big brown eyes. And while it warmed her heart to see him think of her with such respect, she was still anxious… no not anxious, she was scared. But despite that, she already knew her answer.

"Okay." She said with a shrug. "Okay I'll do it. I'll lead the team."

"Your team" Oliver corrected.

"But Oliver, you have to promise me one thing." She said, holding up a finger at him. "Promise me that you won't do another 180, and leave me in the lurch. Leading the team… It's big… and I'm gonna need your help."

Oliver smiled, he was doing that a lot lately, Chloe noticed. "Of course." He said. "And it's _your_ team."

* * *

><p>It was about ten minutes later that Chloe got the call back from her uncle. Having not spoken to the General since telling him that Lois was missing, Chloe knew it was going to be a strange call. But strange was the least of her problems right now.<p>

"So that's the long and short of it." Chloe said, explaining the situation to her uncle.

"_So, these aliens are indestructible?_" The General asked.

"I know how it sounds-"

"_Oh I'm glad you do, Chloe._" The General said, sounding severely annoyed. "_Do you realise what you're asking me to do? You're asking me to tell the President of the United States, that a twenty-year-old reporter has told me that we should call off our offensive because she thinks that the only way to stop them is the little green rocks in Smallville-_"

"General, I'm not a reporter… And um… I'm twenty-two… And sir, I'm asking you to prevent Nuclear Winter, and the probable loss of all life on earth, because your niece has asked you to._"_ Chloe countered.

There was silence on the general's end for a while, and Chloe took the opportunity to continue. "General, I need you to trust me on this one. I know more about these aliens than you can possibly imagine. The missiles won't work."

There was a long pause on the General's end, before he replied. "Chloe, are you absolutely sure about this?"

"More than anything, Sir."

There was another pause, and Chloe shifted in her seat anxiously. "I can't make any promises Chloe." The general said finally. "But I will try."

A smile split Chloe's face. "Thank you, sir." She said excitedly. "Thank you so much."

There was another pause, and Chloe sensed the General wasn't finished. "Sir?"

"You'll keep looking for our girl won't you?" he said quietly.

Chloe swallowed thickly, fighting the emotion in her throat. "Of course, Sir." She said.

* * *

><p>"How're you feeling?" Oliver asked as he approached Bart.<p>

"Comfortable…" Bart said slowly with a grin. "Which means Emil has me dosed up on the good stuff."

Oliver laughed. "Yeah, that's highly likely." He said. "Sorry aliens branded you."

"Don't forget the ribs." Bart added with a grin. Noticing Oliver's face turn, he frowned "What's wrong?"

"Nothing,"

"Come on Bossman," Bart said, "I know you better than that. Are you about to go all depressed and angsty on me?"

Oliver rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress a smile. "How can you be so optimistic right now?"

Bart grinned widely. "Well I heal fast, so I'm looking forward to about eight hours from now, when I can go on an anti-Kandorian rampage. And of course," he said, his eyes glancing over at Chloe. "I have a pretty good view to keep me going till then."

It was strange, normally, Oliver would have hit him upside the head, or rolled his eyes at him, but instead, he found his own eyes straying to Chloe. Her head was bent over her desk, but both Oliver and Bart could see a little line appearing between her eyebrows, as she concentrated, and her eyes become fierce with determination. Oliver smiled to himself at the thought of her, knowing he'd made the right decision. Chloe was unrelenting, loyal, brave and stubborn as a mule (though he'd never compare her to a mule to her face because she was also more terrifying than a thousand Kandorians, when she wanted to be). If anyone was going to bring Zod and his army down, it would be her.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't realise he'd been staring at her. But Bart did.

"Yo!" he exclaimed suddenly, before wincing a little. It still hurt to talk too much. "What's going on?"

Oliver snapped his head back round to face Bart. "What're you talking about?"

"Have you got a crush on Chloe-licious?"

Oliver frowned "What?" he asked, incredulous.

"You heard me!"

"No! I don't have a crush on Chloe." He said a little tiredly.

"Oh what, she's not good enough for you?"

"No! Of course Chloe is perfectly lovely, but…" Oliver began. "She's… well… she's Chloe… "

"Yeah I know-"

"Look, I don't have a crush on Chloe." Oliver said. "And, crush? Really? What is this seventh grade?"

"Dude, you're the one crushing on –Licious."

"I told you I'm not-"

"Bossman," Bart said, with a look "Who're you talking to? That look you were just giving her? I majored in that look."

Oliver sighed, and gave up. There was no point arguing with Bart, once he was fixated on something. "I'm not the boss anymore." He said quietly, "you take orders from Chloe, okay?"

Bart raised an eyebrow. "When didn't I?"

* * *

><p>"So I just got off the phone with my guy and, he says that if we get the rocks to him within 24 hours, he can get us around 100 units in 48." Dinah said, walking over to Chloe, hours of waiting and waiting had passed, and it seemed, Dinah was the only productive on in the building.<p>

Chloe didn't seem to hear her, she stared ahead, looking over her desk, chewing on her fingernails, and frowning into space. Dinah raised an eyebrow, before shaking her.

"What?" Chloe snapped. "Oh sorry Dinah…"

"Were you listening?"

"100 units in 48 hours right?" Chloe said tiredly. "That's gonna be too late unless we can stop the missiles."

"What's wrong?" Dinah asked "I thought you spoke to your uncle?"

"Yeah, I did." Chloe said, staring back into the space with a frown, "but he hasn't got back to me, and it's already nearly 11:00 pm."

"Chloe, I'm sure it'll be fine-"

"You're sure are you?" Chloe snapped "With everything that's happened in the past 24 hours, how can you _possibly_ be sure?"

Dinah looked stung. "Okay, I was trying to stop you worrying, but… sorry for trying-"

"No, Dinah, I'm sorry." Chloe sighed, running her hands over her face. "I need to stop snapping at you… I just… wait…" thoughts practically flashed across Chloe's face, before she realised something. "Where the hell is Clark?"

Dinah frowned. "Clark? He's-" she began. "Um… I guess he's probably helping with the evacuation or something."

"Or something's gone wrong, and he's in danger." Chloe said. "Dammit… he doesn't have his damn powers… stupid Kandorians…" she mumbled the last bit, and Dinah didn't hear. Chloe searched on her desk for her phone.

"Chloe, Clark is probably one of our smallest problems right now," Dinah said,

"I'm just going to check in- Where the hell is my phone?" she mumbled.

Dinah said something under her breath,

"What's that?" Chloe asked.

"Never mind." Dinah said with a clipped smile. "I hope Clark's fine."

Chloe thought… or maybe imagined that she heard a bite to that comment, but chose to think nothing of it as Dinah walked away. Having finally found her phone, she called Clark.

It took him way too long to pick up, allowing Chloe's mind to envision him torn to pieces by Kryptonian psychopaths. "Hi Chloe." He said rather distantly.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "Where the hell are you? It's nearly 11:oo, the attack could happen any minute."

Clark was silent for a while before replying. "I'm in Smallville."

"What are you doing in Smallville?" Chloe asked. "Have you got some kind of secret weapon in you're Kryptonian treasure chest that can help us?"

"Not exactly." Clark said. "Chloe, I want you to get out of Metropolis as soon as you can."

"What?" Chloe said with a frown. "What are you talking about Clark?"

"I think I've found a way to fix this." Clark said. "You just have to-"

The line went dead. "Clark?" Chloe called out. "Clark?"

"What happened?" Chloe turned to see Oliver approaching.

"I don't know. The like cut out." Chloe said. "But Clark was being real strange. Talking about how he's gonna fix this…" she shook her head, not understanding, and stared at the phone. "Oh, wait, I got a text."

Chloe read the text aloud. "Holding off on the nukes. Couldn't call off the air strikes. Find cover. U. Sam."

"Is that the General?"

Chloe frowned. "Yeah… We may have a problem…"

But before Chloe could elaborate, the whole tower seemed to shake, and the tower went black.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:** Sigh... so if I completely screwed this up, I'm really sorry. I just cant function, because my muse won't let me sleep, and it's 6 in the morning now, and I have to go to lectures in about two and a half hours and talk about shoulders... why... because i do... anyway, It would make this whole thing worth it if you guys would let me know what you think_

_if you enjoyed it, if you didn't please leave a review. _

_Much Love_

_Darkeyes xxxxxx_


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